Leo XIV Promotes Indian Bishop Who Used Hindu "Poorna Kumbham" at Eucharist
Born on 15 August 1959 in Moodbidri, Karnataka, India, Francis Serrao is the youngest of eleven children. Remarkably, five of his brothers also joined the priesthood. Two became Jesuits, two became diocesan priests and two joined the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). A sister became a nun.
Monsignor Serrao entered the Jesuits in 1979 and was ordained a priest on 30 April 1992. He made his last vows as a Jesuit in 1 May 1999.
In March 2014, Pope Francis appointed him as Bishop of Shimoga, a diocese with 20,000 Catholics.
Bishop Shimago is a champion of interreligious dialogue and the chairman of the Indian Bishops’ Commission for Ecumenism.
He represented the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences at the 'To Be Bridge-Builders and Bridges' workshop in Nepal in 2023. This event brought together Christian, Buddhist and Hindu leaders to discuss reconciliation and dialogue in South Asia.
His former Diocese of Shimoga has fostered interreligious festivals in Catholic schools and interreligious programmes for Christmas.
In November 2019, the blog Ephesians 5:11 reported that Bishop Serrao had used the Hindu ritual item Poorna Kumbham during a Eucharist.
The Poorna Kumbham is a decorated water pot and a traditional Hindu ritual symbol.
The pot symbolises the womb of creation and abundance, while the water inside it represents life, fertility, and purity. A coconut and mango leaves on top symbolise prosperity and renewal. Overall, the Poorna Kumbham represents the presence of Hindu idols, most often personified as Godess Lakshmi or Godess Shakti.
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