Bishop John Rodrigues of Poona has been elevated to coadjutor bishop of Bombay archdiocese, paving the way for him to succeed Cardinal Oswald Gracias in India’s largest diocese. Cardinal Gracias, who turns 80 on Dec 20, is likely to step down as archbishop of Bombay, a diocese with more than half a million followers in western Maharashtra state. ”Pope Francis has appointed Bishop John Rodrigus as the coadjutor bishop of the Archdiocese of Bombay,” Cardinal Gracias said in a video message on Nov. 30. “Bishop John will come to Mumbai on Jan. 25 and reside at the Archbishop’s House” to ensure a seamless succession in one of India’s oldest dioceses in the nation’s financial and commercial hub, Gracias further said. Bishop Rodrigues, 57, had served as Bombay’s auxiliary bishop for 10 years before becoming the bishop of Poona in 2023. “John has always been a brilliant person,” his elder brother, Father Luke Rodrigues, told the media. Bishop Rodrigues was born in Mumbai on Aug. 21, 1967, and taught dogmatic theology in many seminaries in the country. The son of a widow, the prelate’s two elder brothers are priests. Luke is a Jesuit priest, while Father Savio Rodrigues in the archdiocese.