Pope Francis on May 20 appointed Fr Nazarene Soosai as the new bishop of Kottar diocese that covers the southernmost region of mainland India. The 54-year-old priest replaces Bishop Peter Remigius, who turned 78 on the same day. He did his philosophical and theological studies from Sacred Heart Seminary in Poonamallee, Chennai and was ordained a priest for Kottar on April 2, 1989.