Pope Appoints Rev. Fr. Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam as New Bishop of Jaffna

01-Jul-2026

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Pope Leo XIV has appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo, Rev. Fr. Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam, as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Jaffna.

Born in Jaffna in 1966, Bishop-elect Pillainayagam was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Colombo in 2000. He has served in pastoral, educational and administrative roles in several institutions.

He holds a degree in Theology from Rome, a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of Jaffna, a Diploma in Education from Colombo, a Master's degree in Education from the United Kingdom, and postgraduate qualifications from the University of Jaffna.

He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo by Pope Francis on July 13, 2020, and was ordained Bishop on August 30, 2020. In 2024, he was also appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Batticaloa.

He succeeds Bishop Justin Gnanapragasam, who has retired, as the Bishop of the Diocese of Jaffna.