Diocese of Cochin

The Diocese of Cochin is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Cochin, Kerala, India. A constituent of the sui iuris Latin Church, the diocese was established in 1557 after the domination of the Portuguese-speaking missionaries. The diocese is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Verapoly
The diocese is situated with the Arabian Sea in the west, the Archdiocese of Verapoly in both north and east, and the Diocese of Alleppey in the south. The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica in Fort Cochin is the diocese's cathedral where the Diocesan Administrator resides. Pope Francis appointed James Raphael Anaparambil, Bishop of Diocese of Alleppey, as apostolic administrator sede plena to the diocese on 11 October 2024 and his term has ended on 8th December by the installation of Antony Kattiparambil as the Bishop of Cochin.
On 25 October 2025, Pope Leo XIV appointed Antony Kattiparambil as the bishop of the Diocese of Cochin. His episcopal ordination was on 7th December 2025 at the Basilica Nagar- Parade ground Fort Cochin and he was installed as the bishop of Cochin by the next day at Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Kochi.

History

The Diocese of Cochin, now diminutive in size due to successive bifurcations in the course of time, once used to be the Mother Diocese of many a bishopric in the Sub-continent. The erstwhile Mother Diocese extended in the west coast from Malabar, down south to Cape Comorin and stretched along the east coast all the way up, encompassing Nepal, Bangladesh and beyond Burma and still further east to Hong Kong, Malacca and Macau.

Date	Event	From	To
4 February 1557	Erected	Archdiocese of Goa	Diocese of Cochin was erected as a suffragan diocese to the Archdiocese of Goa
1599	Territory Lost	Diocese of Cochin	Archdiocese of Angamalé
9 January 1606	Territory Lost	Diocese of Cochin	Dioceses of Saint Thomas of Mylapore United To: Roman Catholic [Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore\|Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore]
1606	Territory Lost	Diocese of Cochin	as Mission "sui iuris" of Madura Later Suppressed.
1659	Territory Lost	Diocese of Cochin	Vicariate Apostolic of Malabar
3 Dec 1834	Territory Lost	Diocese of Cochin	Vicariate Apostolic of Ceylon Later changed to Archdiocese of Colombo
19 June 1952	Territory Lost	Diocese of Cochin	Diocese of Alleppey
19 September 1953	Metropolitan Changed	Archdiocese of Goa	Archdiocese of Verapoly
1955	Territory Lost	Diocese of Cochin	Diocese of Trivandrum

The early Christian missionaries arrived in India from Portugal in 1550, pioneering the Portuguese mission in the country. Subsequently, the Christians of Kochi began practicing the Latin liturgical rite. St. Francis Xavier often visited the land of Kochi, where he offered holy mass at the St. Francis Church, in which lies the body of Vasco da Gama buried in 1524. The Order of the Franciscans built a monastery in 1518 and two more, of the Jesuit Order, in 1550 and 1561. In 1553 the Dominicans sisters started a college and Monastery in Kochi, and before 1557, publication began and book printing began in Kochi. The Society of Jesus was then founded by Father Balthazar Gago, S.J. in 1550 and in 1560, the King of Portugal built for the Society of Jesus, the college of Kochi, and in 1562, a novitiate of the Society was established there. Following the rising of the land, Pope Leo X, in 1514 erected the Diocese of Funchal, and in 1534, the Diocese of Goa which was joined by the people in Kochi. The diocese of Cochin was elected by Pope Paul IV on 4 February 1557, in his decree "Pro Excellenti Praeeminentia" for the two new suffragan dioceses. After its erection as a diocese, it was the second and preceded southern and eastern India, Burma, and Ceylon. It was later reorganized following the Concordat of 23 June 1886, between Leo XIII and King Luiz of Portugal.
Before the missionaries, people of Malabar practiced Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Three out of the eight Franciscan friars, who sailed from Lisbon to India died in the 1500 masacre in Kozhikode. The survivors then settled at Kochi and from there began the foundation of the Diocese of Cochin. They also received support from other missionaries working from the city which was a centre. Vasco da Gama, a messenger from Portugal who had arrived at Cochin accepted the writings of the early converted Christians for the King of Portugal. The Syrian Bishop of those Christians promised obedience to the pope through the Franciscan missionaries and two Nestorian priests, who later accompanied Gama to Lisbon en route for Rome. The pioneer priests of the diocese, Franciscans João d'Elvas and Pedro d'Amarante until 1507, preached the Gospel at Vypin, Pallippuram, and Kodungallur. Father Vincent de Lagos established the College of Kodungallur in 1540 to train the Nestorian Christians.
The Papal Bull of Pope Paul IV, which was used earlier in erecting the diocese was also utilised in raising the collegiate church of the Holy Cross, and the parish church of Cochin to a cathedral of the diocese with the first Bishop of Cochin, a Dominican Father Jorge Tremudo. In 1577, Brother João Gonsalves, S.J. was engraved at Cochin for the first time, thus, outlined the first Malealam book Outlines of Christian Doctrine, which was written in Portuguese by St. Francis Xavier to aid children. Cochin was taken on 6 January 1663, by the Dutch after a siege of six months. The city was reduced in size; the clergy were expelled; the monasteries and colleges, bishop's palace, etc., were razed to the ground. The church of St. Francis of Assisi, belonging to the Franciscan monastery was spared by the conquerors and converted for their religious use. After the English overthrew the Dutch, they kept the church which was turned into a merchandise to serve as a witness to the past four centuries, as well as an existing oldest church in India.

Administration

Pope:
Bishop : Rt Rev Msgr Antony Kattiparambil
Vicar General : Very Rev Msgr Josy Kandanattuthara
Chancellor: Very Rev Dr Johney Xavier Puthukkatt
Procurator: Very Rev Fr Maxon Kuttikattu
Judicial Vicar : Very Rev Fr Joshy George Alesseril
Minor Seminary Rector: Very Rev Dr Antony Santhosh Veluthedath
Spiritual Father : Very Rev Fr Dominic Aluvaparambil

Parishes

The Diocese Of Cochin is blessed with fifty one independent parishes with resident priests under six ecclesiastical districts as follows
In the 9th century there were only three parishes in Kochi:
St. Lawrence Church Edakochi,
Our Lady Of Life Church Mattancherry, and
St. Louis Church Mundamveli.

Saints and causes for canonisation

St Francis Xavier worked in the costal belt of the diocese as a missionary, often visited the diocese.
St John De Britto visited the diocese on his way towards his mission.
St Joseph Vaz served the diocese as its Vicar General.
St Theresa Of Culcutta, widely known as Mother Theresa, visited the diocese and inaugurated Cochin Institute of printing technology In Thoppumpady.
St Devasahayam a member of the diocese during his great martyrdom.
Venerable Matteo Ricci Ordained as a Priest in Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica Fort Kochi.
Servant of God Lawrence Puliyanath, a dioceasean priest who is often called as the apostle of the poor,served in the parish of St Lawrence Church Edacochin as Assistant Vicar and Later Vicar for more that 33 years.