Assistant to Jesuit General meets Mangalore Bishop

November 15, 2011

Mangalore, November 15: The Assistant to the General of the Jesuits of the world in Rome and in-charge of the South Asian Assistancy of the Jesuits, Rev. Fr Lisbert D'Souza visited Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D'Souza, the Bishop of Mangalore on 14th Monday at the Bishop's House of Mangalore.

The General Congregation elects four Assistants. Their function is to assist the Superior General on behalf of the whole Society. Fr Federico Lombardi, an Italian Jesuit and the current director of the Holy See Press Office is another such Assistant.

According to Jesuit sources there are 10 Assistancies with more than 18500 Jesuit priests serving in 112 nations across the globe in six continents through 93 provinces. The South Asian Assistancy is the biggest with more than 4000 members which make it for 20.9%. India has 20 provinces of Jesuits with Madurai Province accommodating maximum number of Jesuits which is more than 400.

The Jesuit Conference of South Asian Assistancy was held recently in Pune in the presence of Fr Lisbert. After the conference Fr Lisbert is on an official visit to the Karnataka Province during which he personally visits every Jesuit institution to have fist hand information. For the Jesuit General will consult him in every major Jesuit decision of South Asia. He gathered first hand information on the collaboration between the Jesuits and the Diocese.

Fr Lisbert who is originally from Goa said that as per the need of the times more Jesuits are sent into the seminaries to be spiritual formatters and guides. The seminaries request especially for younger Jesuits who are well aware of the present times and modern sciences. The Pope Benedict 16th had invited the Jesuits to help him and the church in integrated formation of priests. The Pope had expressed especially during his visit to the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome founded by St Ignatius of Loyola, the first university of the Jesuits.

The Bishop of Mangalore honoured the Jesuit Assistant on behalf of the Church of Mangalore. Diocesan Chancellor Fr Henry Sequeira, PRO Fr William Menezes, Treasurer Fr Maxim Noronha, Judicial Vicar Fr Valerian Menezes and others were present on the occasion.

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Why Mangaluru Could Become India’s Next Offshore Wind Energy Hub

News Network

February 3,2026

Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta has urged the Centre to give high priority to offshore wind energy generation along the Mangaluru coast, citing its strategic importance to India’s green energy and port-led development goals.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, Chowta said studies by the National Institute of Oceanography have identified the Mangaluru coastline as part of India’s promising offshore wind ‘Zone-2’, covering nearly 6,490 sq km. He noted that the region’s relatively low exposure to cyclones and earthquakes makes it suitable for long-term offshore wind projects and called for its development as a dedicated offshore wind energy zone.

Highlighting the role of New Mangalore Port, Chowta said its modern infrastructure, multiple berths and heavy cargo-handling capacity position it well as a logistics hub for transporting and assembling large wind energy equipment.

He also pointed to the presence of major industrial units such as MRPL, OMPL, UPCL and the Mangaluru SEZ, which could serve as direct buyers of green power through power purchase agreements, improving project viability and speeding up execution.

With Karnataka’s peak power demand crossing 18,000 MW in early 2025, Chowta stressed the need to diversify renewable energy sources. He added that offshore wind projects in the Arabian Sea are strategically safer compared to the cyclone-prone Bay of Bengal.

Calling the project vital to India’s target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, Chowta urged the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to initiate resource assessments, pilot projects and stakeholder consultations at the earliest.

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