Catholicos of the East Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II to get successor this year

A meeting of Malankara Syrian Christian Association will be convened for the selection

The episcopal synod of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has decided to kick-start the process of selecting the successor to Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II.

An official statement by the church on Wednesday said the move followed a suggestion made by the Catholicos, who presided a synod meeting through video-conferencing.

According to sources, a meeting of the Malankara Syrian Christian Association, a body comprising priests and laity representatives from all parishes of the church, will be convened to choose the successor.

Language institute

“The church managing committee will soon decide on the dates for the association, which will be followed by the commencement of the nomination process. In the absence of a consensus, the successor will be elected through voting. The whole process is expected to be completed by September or October,’’ they said.

The synod also decided to establish a language institute for teaching classical languages, including Greek and Syrian, along with English and French. The institute will function along with the Theological Seminary here.