ASIA/INDIA - Appointment of Bishop of Asansol

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On July 3, the Holy Father appointed the Reverend Elias Frank, of the clergy of the diocese of Asansol, India, until now professor of canon law at the Pontifical Urbania University of Rome, as bishop of the same diocese of Asansol.
Msgr. Elias Frank was born in Bantwal, diocese of Mangalore, on 15 August 1962. After attending the Saint John Vianney Major Seminary in Barasat, he studied philosophy at the Morning Star Regional Seminary of Barrackpore and theology at the Pontifical Urbania University in Rome.
He was ordained a priest on 23 April 1993 for the archdiocese of Calcutta. When the diocese of Asansol was created in 1997, he was incardinated in the new ecclesiastical circumscription.
After ordination, he first held the roles of deputy parish priest of the Sacred Heart Church, Burdwan (1993-1995 and 1996-1999), and parish administrator of the Kristo Jyothi Church, Basinda (1995-1996). He studied for a licentiate in canon law (1999-2001) and a diploma in jurisprudence at the Pontifical Urbania University of Rome. After serving as parish administrator of the Saint Therese of Lisieux Church in Durgapur (2002-2003), he studied for a doctorate in canon law at the Pontifical Urbania University (2003-2004) and went on to hold the offices of parish priest of the Sacred Heart Church in Burdwan and judge at the inter-diocesan tribunal of Calcutta (2005-2006); professor of canon law at the Pontifical Urbania University (since 2007); and visiting professor at the Alphonsian Academy, Rome (since 2020). He has also served as consultor of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Commissioner for marriage cases in favorem fidei at the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and external judge at the Court of First Instance of the Vicariate of Rome. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 3/7/2023)

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