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Diocese of Port Blair

Bishop Visuvasam Selvaraj
Bishop's House,
Deeptidham, P.B. 466, P.O.
Junglighat, Port Blair-744103,
Andaman Islands, India

Phone: (03192)239.409
Fax: 230.404

Website: http://dioceseofportblair.com/


Pope Francis appointed Father Visuvasam Selvaraj as bishop of Port Blair on June 29, 2021.

Bishop Selvaraj was born on Jan. 4, 1966, in Raja Anna Malaipuram in the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore.

He attended the diocesan minor seminary in Santhome, Chennai, from 1981-85 and studied philosophy at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Chennai from 1985-88 and theology at St. Albert’s College, Ranchi, from 1990-94.

Bishop Selvaraj obtained a master’s degree in canon law in 2001 from St. Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Bangalore.

He was ordained a priest on May 8, 1994, for Port Blair Diocese.

He has been serving as diocesan administrator since Bishop Aleixo das Neves Dias resigned on Jan. 5, 2019.

Bishop Selvaraj has served the diocese as director of social service, procurator, project director, formation director, chaplain, Sagritara Press director, chaplain of the Tamil community, consultor, judicial vicar and chancellor.


Previous Ordinaries:

History 

In a land area of 8,293 square kilometers, the diocesan territory covers the entire union territory of Andaman Nicobar Islands which consists of nearly 350 islands scattered in Bay of Bengal.

Port Blair, a former British Penal settlement, named after Captain Blair of the East India Company, is the Capital of the Union Territory.

It is connected both by air and sea to the mainland (Chennai and Kolkata).

Port Blair is the biggest town in the diocese. Garachama and Bambooflat are other towns in the diocese.


Population

Nearly 433,634 is the total population. The population is a cosmopolitan group of Bengalis, Punjabis, Tamilians and Malayalis.

Language

Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Sadhri, Nicobarese, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Telugu and English are the languages used in the diocesan territory.

History

The Andaman and Nicobar Mission was under the archdiocese of Rangoon - Burma. After India became independent in 1947, the Holy See handed over the whole area of Andaman and Nicobar to the archbishop of Ranchi. In 1965, at the request of the archbishop of Ranchi, the area was handed over by the Holy See to the Pilar Fathers, Goa. On June 22, 1984, Pope John Paul II elevated it into a diocese and appointed Father Alex Dias, S.F.X., once a priest here, as its first bishop.

Political

The City is managed by corporation. The villages and small towns are administered by elected local bodies called panchayats and municipalities respectively.


Transportation

The diocesan area is well connected in terms of transport infrastructure by sea and airways. The nearest airport is in Port Blair city.


Economy

The per capita income in the diocese territory is Rs 36,641 ($802) as of February 2011.

Telecommunication

Government and private operators provide extensive telecommunication facilities in the diocesan area. The diocese is well connected by local cable TV networks.

Education

Nearly 77.42 percent is the literacy rate in the diocesan territory.