Archbishop Kocherry was born in Changanassery, Kerala, and left India in 1967 for studies in philosophy and theology in Rome, besides his Doctorate in Canon Law.
He was ordained priest in 1974 and joined a special course from 1974-78 in order to join the Vatican Diplomatic Service. He served in the Nunciatures of South Korea, Costa Rica, Nigeria, West Indies, Thailand, Singapore, Switzerland and Australia as secretary.
In 2000, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana and elevated as archbishop. On June 10, 2000 he was raised up to the rank of Titular Archbishop of Othona. He served in Ghana for 8 years and in 2008 got transferred to Zimbabwe.
The Archbishop fills the vacancy left by the appointment of American Archbishop Joseph Marino as the first resident Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia from Bangladesh.
Archbishop Joseph Marino's appointment comes after the decision to open a new Nunciature in Kuala Lumpur early this year, in what is seen as a highly significant development in relations between the Holy See and this south-east Asian Islamic state.