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Michael Xavier Leo Arokiaraj (born 8 September 1958) is an
Michael Xavier Leo Arokiaraj (born 8 September 1958) is an Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Associated with India
* of or related to India
** Indian people
** Indian diaspora
** Languages of India
** Indian English, a dialect of the English language
** Indian cuisine
Associated with indigenous peoples o ...
clerical lawyer.
Early life
Monsignore Michael Leo Arockiaraj was born on 8 September 1958 in Mettupatti, in the civil district ofDindigul
Dindigul (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is a city in the India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. Dindigul City is Located in the Southwest Region of Tamil Nadu. Dindigul is an ancient settlement r ...
of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
, South India and of the ecclesiastical diocese of Dindigul. After his initial formation in St Augustine's minor seminary, Trichy, philosophical formation in Christ Hall seminary, Karumathur, and theological formation in Pontifical Urban University
The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian, is a pontifical university that was under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The university's mission is to ...
, Rome, where he was ordained a priest on 25 April 1984.
Academic background
He obtained a bachelor's degree in Indian civil law in the Government Law College,Trichy
Tiruchirappalli (), also known as Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with being the best livable and the cleanest city of T ...
, Tamil Nadu and a licentiate and doctorate in canon law in Pontifical Urban University, Rome in 1992.
In Roman Rota
He completed in 1998 his studies to the Roman Rota (Studium rotalis), and was later appointed head of the Chancery of the Roman Rota.Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
appointed him as a judge (auditor) of the Roman Rota
The Roman Rota, formally the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota (), and anciently the Apostolic Court of Audience, is the highest appellate tribunal of the Catholic Church, with respect to both Latin Church members and the Eastern Catholic m ...
on May 5, 2007. He is the first Asian and Indian to be appointed a judge in this Supreme Tribunal of the Catholic Church. When 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 ...
created a commission to reform the matrimonial process, he was chosen as a member of the commission on 27 August 2014.
References