Retired Jesuit Bishop His Grace Charles Soreng of Hazaribag, a former secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), died on January 11, 2019 at 8.40am at Seva Nilaya Health Centre, Ranchi. His funeral will be held on 15th January, 2019 at the Transfiguration of Our Lord Cathedrak, Hazaribag at 1pm.
His Grace Bishop Soreng was born August 18, 1934, and was ordained a priest in the Society of Jesus on March 24, 1969. He was consecrated as the bishop of Daltonganj on February 9, 1990. He was transferred to neighboring Hazaribag on April 1, 1995. He retired as a bishop on Sep 8, 2012.
His Grace Bishop Soreng was elected the CBCI secretary general in 1994. He was the first tribal prelate to hold the post. Oswald Gracias, who was then the auxiliary of Bombay, took over from Bishop Soreng in 1998. His Excellency Bishop Soreng also served as the chairperson of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India’s commission that catered to the weaker sections – Dalit, tribal and backward caste groups.
