Telesphore Toppo

Infobox cardinalbiog

|
name = Telesphore Placidus Toppo
See = Ranchi
Title = Cardinal Archbishop of Ranchi
Period = August 7, 1985 —present
post = Archbishop of Ranchi, India
cardinal = October 21, 2003
date of birth = Birth date and age|1939|10|15|mf=y
place of birth = Chainpur, India
Predecessor = Pius Kerketta, SJ
Successor = Incumbentinfobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Telesphore Placidus Toppo
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
relstyle=Cardinal
title=Cardinal Priest of Sacred Heart of Jesus in Agony at Vitinia
See=Ranchi

Telesphore Placidus Toppo (born 15 October, 1939, Chainpur, Jharkhand, India) is a Cardinal Priest and Archbishop of Ranchi in the Roman Catholic Church. He is the first Adivasi (tribal) Indian to be created a Cardinal.

Born the 8th of 10 children, Toppo studied at St. Xavier's College, Ranchi and Theology at the Urbanianum, Rome. He was ordained priest on 3 May 1969. After a stint at Torpa, (Jharkhand) as Headmaster of St Joseph's School and Director of the Lievens Vocational Center, Toppo was ordained bishop for the diocese of Dumka (7 October 1978) and soon transferred to Ranchi (Capital city of the Jharkhand state) as Archbishop (1985). A polyglot, Toppo speaks Oraon, Hindi, Sadri, English, and Italian.

Toppo was made Cardinal by Pope John Paul II on 21 October 2003. He was elector at the 2005 papal conclave that elected Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI.

Toppo is current president of CBCI (Catholic Bishops' Conference of India).

External links

* [http://www.ranchiarchdiocese.org/ Ranchi Diocese website]
* [http://www.catholic-pages.com/hierarchy/cardinals_bio.asp?ref=220 Biography at catholic-pages.com]