CCBI Issues Directive on the Naming of Pope in the Eucharist

India, 16 May, 2025 - The Catholic Bishops of India have issued a fresh reminder to clergy on the importance of naming both the Pope and the local Bishop during the Eucharistic Prayer — calling it a vital expression of unity and fidelity to the Church.

In a document recently circulated by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), priests are instructed to mention the Pope and the diocesan Bishop by name, not as an optional formality, but as a liturgical and theological necessity. The custom reflects visible communion with the universal Church through the Holy Father and with the local Church through the Bishop.

The CCBI advises using the Pope’s papal name, “Leo”, without translating it or adding numerals such as “the Fourteenth”. For Bishops, only the word “Bishop” followed by the first name should be used — omitting titles such as “Cardinal”, “Archbishop”, or “His Eminence”.

This directive draws from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) 149, which also outlines variations for when a Bishop himself is celebrating Mass. In his own diocese, he adds, “and me, your unworthy servant” after naming the Pope. When celebrating outside his diocese, he says, “my brother N., the Bishop of this Church, and me, your unworthy servant.”

While the mention of coadjutor or auxiliary Bishops is permitted, it remains optional. If included, they should be referred to collectively as “N., our Bishop, and his assistant Bishops”. However, retired Bishops, visiting prelates, or other Bishops present — even Cardinals or Nuncios — are not to be named in the Eucharistic Prayer unless they have jurisdiction in the local Church.

The reminder is also a firm caution against omitting these names intentionally. The CCBI states that any priest who deliberately avoids mentioning the Pope and local Bishop undermines the very meaning of the Eucharist and the priesthood itself.

At a time when unity in the Church is ever more essential, this call to properly name the Pope and Bishop during Mass is more than ritual precision — it is a tangible witness of communion with the Body of Christ.

Source CCBI Circular