Pope Leo XIV appoints Bishop Albert Hemrom as Coadjutor Archbishop of Guwahati

Guwahati, July 16: Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Dr. Albert Hemrom of the Diocese of Dibrugarh as the Coadjutor Archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Guwahati, positioning him to succeed Archbishop John Moolachira upon his retirement, the Vatican announced on Thursday.

The appointment makes Bishop Hemrom the designated successor to Archbishop Moolachira, who is expected to retire later this year on attaining the canonical retirement age of 75.

Born on February 27, 1969, at Konapathar in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, Bishop Hemrom received his early priestly formation at St. Joseph’s Minor Seminary in Dibrugarh before studying Philosophy at Christ the King College and Theology at Oriens Theological College in Shillong. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Dibrugarh on April 25, 1999.

A noted canon lawyer, Bishop Hemrom earned a Licentiate in Canon Law from St. Peter’s Pontifical Institute, Bengaluru, in 2003 and completed his Doctorate in Canon Law at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome in 2014.

Over the past two decades, he has held several key pastoral, judicial and academic positions, serving as Assistant Parish Priest, Parish Priest, Prefect of Studies, Judicial Vicar of the Diocesan Tribunal, Rector of St. Joseph’s Minor Seminary, and Visiting Professor of Canon Law at Oriens Theological College. He also served on the Diocese’s College of Consultors and Presbyteral Council and was Secretary of the Diocesan Laity and Family Commission besides serving as Vocations Promoter.

Pope Francis appointed him as Coadjutor Bishop of Dibrugarh on December 2, 2018. He was ordained bishop on February 24, 2019, and later assumed charge of the Diocese following the retirement of Bishop Joseph Aind, SDB.

The Archdiocese of Guwahati was established as the Diocese of Guwahati on August 16, 1992, by Pope Saint John Paul II, with Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, SDB, as its first bishop. It was elevated to a Metropolitan Archdiocese on August 1, 1995, and today heads an ecclesiastical province comprising the dioceses of Dibrugarh, Tezpur, Diphu, Bongaigaon, Itanagar and Miao.

Church sources said Bishop Hemrom will continue to be based at the Bishop’s House in Dibrugarh while travelling regularly to Guwahati to assist in the administration of the archdiocese until he formally succeeds Archbishop Moolachira.

Archbishop Moolachira, who is currently 74, is expected to submit his resignation on attaining 75 years of age in December, as required under Canon Law. Once the Holy See accepts his resignation, Bishop Hemrom will automatically assume office as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Guwahati.

The Vatican has not yet indicated how the Diocese of Dibrugarh will be administered after Bishop Hemrom takes over in Guwahati, and it remains unclear whether he will continue as Apostolic Administrator until a new bishop is appointed.

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