Bishop of Salem
Arulselvam Rayappan was born on November 18, 1960, in Sathipattu, within the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. He was a student at St. Agnes Minor Seminary in Cuddalore (1974–1978). He pursued philosophical studies at Christ Hall Seminary in Madurai (1978–1981) and theological studies at St. Peter’s Pontifical Institute/Seminary in Bangalore (1982–1986). He was ordained a priest on May 20, 1986, and incardinated into the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. He obtained a Master’s degree in Canon Law from St. Peter’s Pontifical Institute/Seminary (1990–1992) and a Doctorate from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome (1992–1994). Following his priestly ordination, he held the following positions: Vice-Rector of the Minor Seminary in Cuddalore (1986–1988); Parochial Vicar in Viriyur and Karaikal (1988–1989); and Parish Priest in Kurumbagaram (1989–1990). At St. Peter’s Pontifical Institute/Seminary in Bangalore, he served as a lecturer (from 1994), Director of the Centre for Canon Law Studies (1996–2001), Vice-Rector (2000–2006), and President (2010–2017). Additionally, he served as Secretary of the Commission for Canon Law and Legislative Texts of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (2010–2018), as well as President of the Canon Law Society of Tamil Nadu and both Secretary General and President of the Canon Law Society of India (2013–2017). Since 2017, he has once again served as Director of the Centre for Canon Law Studies at St. Peter’s Pontifical Institute/Seminary in Bangalore and as a judge at the Tribunal of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore.