The All India Catholic Union, the oldest Catholic laity body in South and Southeast Asia, elected A. Chinnappan of Delhi as its national president and Alexander Anthony of Kolkata as its national vice president for the 2026-2028 term on August 23, the second and concluding day of its 72nd Annual General Body Meeting held at Don Bosco Provincial House, Okhla, New Delhi.
The new team takes charge with a mandate to deepen the union’s presence at the grassroots and draw more young people into its work across the country.
In a press statement released to the media, including Christian Today, AICU spokesperson Dr John Dayal shared further details of the two leaders’ backgrounds.
Chinnappan was born on October 29, 1956, in Munnar, Idukki district, Kerala. He completed his schooling near Tindivanam in Tamil Nadu and studied at the University of Madras before moving to Delhi in 1981. He joined the Aditya Birla Group in 1984 and retired 33 years later as assistant vice president. He is married to Ilin Mary, has a daughter, Jennifer Sophia, and is a parishioner of Mother of Perpetual Succour Church in Mayur Vihar Phase-3, Delhi.
After retirement, Chinnappan turned his attention fully to church and community service. At the parish level, he headed the Catholic Association and sat on the Parish Pastoral Council. At the diocesan level, he took on roles in the Diocesan Pastoral Council, the Laity Commission, the Formation Commission, the Catholic Association of the Archdiocese of Delhi, and the Inter-Faith and Ecumenism Commission. He also spent ten years as secretary of the Tamil Catholic Ministry of the Archdiocese of Delhi. As president of his parish association, he went on to join the executive committee of the Federation of Catholic Associations of the Archdiocese of Delhi, later heading it as secretary general and then president for six years. At the national level, he worked his way through the AICU as state secretary and state president, and subsequently as national secretary, assistant secretary general, secretary general and national vice president, before his election as national president.
Outlining his vision for the organisation, Chinnappan said, “One Faith. Three Rites. One Catholic Family.” He called for “a stronger youth, a stronger AICU,” describing the union he wants to build as “united in its diversity, strong in its faith, connected to its grassroots, self-innovative in its approach, constructive in its relationship with the Church, and committed to the service of India.” He said the national body must have a footprint in every state and diocese, staying as close as possible to Catholic communities on the ground.
Anthony, a Tamil Catholic, was born and brought up in Kolkata and studied at St. Xavier’s, Park Street, where he was drawn into the CLC and LTS student movements. He later took on the role of parish council secretary at St. Thomas Church on Middleton Row.
He joined the Catholic Association of Bengal in 2003, rising to secretary general from 2005 to 2012 and president from 2012 to 2018. Between 2012 and 2019, he served as secretary of the Laity Commission of the Archdiocese of Calcutta, and he sat on the managing committee of Loreto House School from 2012 to 2018. In 2016, he was secretary of the organising committee for the Archdiocese’s celebrations marking Mother Teresa’s sainthood.
Anthony’s association with AICU began in 2006, when he took charge as West Bengal state president. He went on to hold the posts of honorary treasurer from 2016 to 2022, assistant vice president from 2022 to 2024 and secretary general from 2024 to 2026, before his election as national vice president.
The election followed a day after the union, now in its 107th year, conferred its centenary awards on a group of citizens and one organisation for service to the nation. The award categories included civil, civic, community service and lifetime achievement, and each recipient got a citation, a memento and Rs 25,000, about $260.
Elvis Gomes, a former senior bureaucrat from Goa, won the AICU Centenary Civil Award. Trustees Lovina Khan, Md. Ekram Khan and David Khan of the Open Arms Educational and Charitable Trust took the Civic Award for their work among underprivileged and marginalised communities. Veronica Cornelio was named for the Community Service Award, and Eugene Gonsalves for the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work among the Catholic laity.
In his citation for Gomes, outgoing AICU president Elias Vaz said, “A distinguished civil servant of Goa, Gomes dedicated two decades of his professional life to public service.” Gomes, Vaz added, distinguished himself not merely by his administrative competence but by a deeper understanding of what public administration is ultimately meant to achieve, to serve people, protect dignity and advance the common good. “His record of service is characterized by sincerity, honesty, courage and an unwavering sense of duty,” the citation noted.
Elizabeth D. Antony picked up the Special Recognition Award for her work in community healthcare and preventive health awareness. U. Sagayam, a former bureaucrat, and Bosco Michael D’Souza, a social worker, were given the AICU Special Recognition Award 2026, while Immaculate Mary, A. Anbudas, Alexander Das, Peter Kung and Y. Raju took home the AICU Recognition Award. Vaz, who led AICU for two consecutive terms from 2022 to 2026, was presented a Letter of Appreciation for his leadership and service.
Founded in 1919 and registered under the Societies Registration Act 1850, AICU represents Catholic laity through 120 diocesan units nationwide and describes itself as Asia’s largest association of Catholic laity. The union positions itself as a voice for the laity within the church while backing the synodal process, and says its work includes opposing injustice and resisting efforts to divide communities along religious or communal lines. It has long taken up the cause of Christians facing persecution and campaigned for their right to practise their faith freely, and has pressed for Dalit Christians to be brought under the same welfare schemes and safeguards that cover other Dalit groups. The union also says it has put in years of work toward a stronger civil society and closer ties across Christian denominations and other faith communities.
Speaking to Christian Today, Dayal said, “Our aim will be on dialogue and fighting hate, perverse laws, and subcontinental peace, as Christians are a minority in every country, and peace is essential to keep majoritarianism at bay.”
