Udupi: Bishop of the Udupi Catholic Diocese, Dr Leslie Clifford D’Souza, met Pope Leo XIV at Vatican City on Thursday, September 10, marking their first meeting since Bishop Leslie assumed office. During the meeting, the bishop received the Pope’s blessings and conveyed the greetings and good wishes of the faithful of the Udupi diocese.
Pope Leo XIV met all the newly appointed bishops from different parts of the world on Thursday as part of his interaction with the new episcopal leaders. Following the gathering, he held separate meetings with bishops representing individual dioceses.
Bishop Leslie D’Souza used the occasion to represent the Udupi diocese and present the Pope with traditional gifts reflecting the cultural and religious identity of the diocese.
Bishop presents traditional gifts to Pope
During the meeting, Bishop Leslie honoured Pope Leo XIV on behalf of the Udupi diocese by presenting him with a traditional shawl and a statue of Our Lady of Milagres, the patroness of the diocese.
The presentation served as a gesture of respect and affection from the Udupi Catholic community towards the head of the Catholic Church. Our Lady of Milagres holds a special place in the religious life and traditions of the Udupi diocese.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for Bishop Leslie to brief Pope Leo XIV about the diocese and its activities.
Bishop conveys greetings of Udupi faithful
Bishop Leslie conveyed the good wishes of the faithful of the Udupi diocese to Pope Leo XIV during the meeting.
He also briefed the Pope about the situation and progress of the diocese, providing an overview of its pastoral activities and developments.
The interaction was significant for the Udupi diocese as it marked Bishop Leslie’s first meeting with Pope Leo XIV since assuming office as bishop.
The bishop’s visit to the Vatican also provided an opportunity to strengthen the connection between the local Catholic community in Udupi and the universal Catholic Church.
Pope conveys blessings to Udupi diocese
In response, Pope Leo XIV conveyed his greetings and blessings to all the faithful of the Udupi diocese.
The Pope’s message of blessings was received as a gesture of encouragement for the Catholic community in the coastal Karnataka diocese.
The meeting between the Pope and Bishop Leslie also reflected the customary interaction between newly appointed bishops and the head of the Catholic Church.
The Udupi diocese has a long-standing Catholic tradition, with the community playing an active role in religious, educational and social activities in the region. The meeting at the Vatican provided Bishop Leslie an opportunity to share the diocese’s progress directly with Pope Leo XIV.
Meeting marks significant occasion for Udupi
The meeting assumes significance for the faithful of Udupi as their bishop represented the diocese before Pope Leo XIV and conveyed the collective greetings of its Catholic community.
The presentation of the traditional shawl and the statue of Our Lady of Milagres also added a local and cultural dimension to the Vatican meeting.
Bishop Leslie’s interaction with the Pope and the blessings extended to the faithful of Udupi are expected to be warmly received by the Catholic community in the diocese.
The Vatican meeting thus marked an important occasion for Bishop Leslie D’Souza and the Udupi diocese, strengthening their connection with the wider Catholic Church while bringing the greetings and blessings of Pope Leo XIV to the faithful in Udupi.