Benny Mario Travas (born 21 November 1966) is a Pakistani prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and Archbishop of Karachi,

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. He served as Bishop of

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

from 2015 to 2021.

Biography

Travas was born in Karachi, Pakistan, on 21 November 1966. He received his early education from St. Patrick's High School, Karachi from where he graduated in 1983. He graduated from the Christ the King seminary and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Karachi on 7 December 1990 and then spent seven years in pastoral work. In 1997, he received a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. On his return to Pakistan he was professor of canon law at the National Catholic Institute of Theology, rector of St. Pius X Minor Seminary in Karachi, and Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Karachi. He was also a judge of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Karachi and a member of the College of Consultors and of the Priests' Council. He was Vice President of the Catholic Board of Education. On 13 June 2014,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

accepted the resignation of Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan and appointed Travas as

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

. On 29 May 2015, Pope Francis appointed Travas Bishop of Multan. He received his episcopal consecration on 15 August 2015 from Archbishop Ghaleb Moussa Abdalla Bader, Apostolic Nuncio to Pakistan. In 2016 he was appointed Chair of Caritas Pakistan. In December 2016, at a meeting of Asian bishops, he described the principal challenges facing the Catholic Church in Pakistan as charges brought under the blasphemy laws and mob violence, as well as poverty, drug addiction, and the shortage of priests. In October 2016 he was appointed a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. In February 2019, he was elected secretary of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. On 13 June 2020, he inaugurated St. Peter's CSS Academy in Multan. The Academy encourages and facilitates Catholics to appear for the Central Superior Services (CSS) exams that lead to federal public service jobs. This is the first time a concerted effort has been made to promote Catholics into the public service. In 2020 Travas went into isolation after he tested positive for Covid-19. On 11 February 2021, Pope Francis appointed Travas to succeed Joseph Coutts as Archbishop of Karachi. Travas was installed as Archbishop of Karachi at the St Patrick's Cathedral on 11 April 2021.Dawn April 12, 2021
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* --> {{DEFAULTSORT:Travas, Benny Living people 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Pakistan 1966 births Pakistani people of Goan descent Pontifical Urban University alumni St. Patrick's High School, Karachi alumni Roman Catholic archbishops of Karachi Roman Catholic bishops of Multan Goan Catholics Religious leaders from Karachi