Pope Leo appoints leader of heterodox ‘interfaith’ meetings as bishop of Indian diocese

VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — A Catholic priest who spent years leading interreligious initiatives has now been appointed the new bishop of a diocese in India.

On February 14, Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Francisco Antonio Agnelo Jacinto Pinheiro, a priest of the Archdiocese of Goa and Damão, as bishop of Sindhudurg. A former professor of philosophy at the local diocesan seminary, Pinheiro has directed the Apostolate of Interreligious Dialogue in that archdiocese since 2018, organizing and moderating numerous “interfaith events” that brought together Catholic, Hindu, and Muslim participants.

“God is the creator of this planet; we are called to cooperate with the Creator for the well‑being of this world. When we live in harmony, fraternity, and unity, we can build a better and more peaceful world,” Pinheiro said in one of his public statements. “Our mission to promote religious harmony and ensure a peaceful world begins now.”

Since assuming responsibility for interreligious dialogue in 2018, Pinheiro has overseen and promoted several public syncretistic initiatives on behalf of the Catholic Church in Goa, India.

In December 1, 2022, the Archdiocese of Goa and Damão reported on an interreligious gathering at the Basilica of Bom Jesus that included Hindu hymns and bhajans, as well as a prayer dance described as invoking divine blessings. Pinheiro delivered the vote of thanks at the event.

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The event also featured the patronage and participation of Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, archbishop of Goa, created cardinal by Pope Francis on August 27, 2022, and highly active in interreligious dialogue, ecological initiatives, and the synodal process. Francis chose him as one of the members of the commission tasked with drafting the final report of the Synod on Synodality in 2024.

Over the years, however, the syncretistic activism promoted by Ferrão and his clergy – particularly by the Apostolate for Interreligious Dialogue, headed by Pinheiro himself – has scandalized several local Catholics. In 2021, the cardinal and his assistants received a petition accusing of “witnessing to radical religious relativism which puts the living Jesus on a par with a clay Ganesha.” This came after they pushed clergy to venerate the pagan idols of the Hindu deity Ganesha during a local festival celebrating the god’s nativity.

As if that were not enough, on November 30, 2023, an initiative titled “Care for Creation Day” was held in Goa and presented as an interreligious prayer gathering. The program was spearheaded by Pinheiro. The event incorporated hymns and prayer dances led by Hindu and Muslim representatives alongside Catholic rites, including Hindu bhajans and a Garba dance, where traditionally women dance in a circle around a lamp that represents the goddess Durga, a symbol of divine energy.

In India, the majority of Catholics come from castes traditionally considered lower or “untouchable” because of their alleged impurity, and they face daily persecution from both Muslims and Hindus. In recent years, the approval of anti‑conversion laws in many Indian states has further complicated the free practice of Catholicism.

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