Fr. Leslie D’Souza appointed new Bishop of Udupi Diocese

Fr. Leslie Clifford D’Souza, parish priest of the Our Lady of Health Church in Shirva, was appointed the Bishop of Udupi Diocese by Pope Leo XIV on Saturday.

The appointment follows the retirement of Bishop Gerald Isaac Lobo (76) from Saturday. Bishop Lobo served as the Bishop of Shivamogga from 2000 to 2012 and as Bishop of Udupi from 2012 to 2026.

Outgoing Bishop of Udupi Diocese Gerald Isaac Lobo (right) greets incumbent Leslie Clifford D’Souza at Our Lady of Milagres Cathedral, Kallianapura, on Saturday, January 31, in Udupi.
| Photo Credit:
UMESH S. SHETTIGAR

Born on August 19, 1962 in Uchchila (Yermal) of Udupi district to Lawrence D’Souza and Cecilia, Fr. D’Souza belongs to a large family of eight siblings. He had the primary education at Saraswati Mandir Higher Primary School, Uchila, followed by secondary education at Government Fisheries High School, Yermal . He completed pre-university education at Poorna Pragya College, Adamar.

Fr. D’Souza studied philosophy at St. Joseph’s Inter-Provincial Seminary, Mangaluru, a B.A. degree from the University of Mysore, a Bachelor of Theology degree from the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome, M.A. in English Literature from University of Mysore, a Diploma in Depth Psychology and Formation from the Bangalore Institute of Psychology and Training, a Licentiate in Theology and a Doctorate in Moral Theology from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.

He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Mangalore on May 10, 1990. He served at the Holy Rosary Church, Kundapur and the Holy Cross Church, Kulashekara, as an assistant priest. He also served as a professor and trainer of moral theology at St. Joseph’s Inter-Provincial Seminary, Mangaluru.

He was also the Chaplain of St. John the Evangelist Church, Pangla/Shankarapura and Mount Rosary Church, Kallianpur-Santekate. Since June 2022, Fr. D’Souza has been serving at the Shirva Church. He was the Secretary of the Council of Priests from 2022 to 2025, and currently serves as the Principal Priest of Shirva Zone.