Suffragan Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Theodosius has been installed the 22nd Metropolitan of the 1.6-million-strong Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church. He will be known by the name Mar Theodosius Mar Thoma Metropolitan.
The installation of the new metropolitan was held at the church head quarters in Thiruvalla on Saturday. The ceremonies began with a reception to the metropolitan designate at 7.45 a.m, followed by a holy mass led by Euyakim Mar Coorilos Episcopa.
Senior Mar Thoma metropolitan Philipose Mar Chrysostom, Malabar Independent Syrian Church head Cyril Mar Baselios, and other bishops of the Mar Thoma church attended the service. Church secretary Fr. K G Joseph announced the selection of the new Metropolitan and this was followed by the installation ceremony.
Cardinal Mar George Alenchery, Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, Malankara Orthodox Church Catholicos Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II, National Council of Churches in India and CNI moderator P.C. Singh, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Catholicos of Malankara Catholic Church, CSI bishop Dharmaraj Rasalam, Jacobite Church trustee Joseph Mar Gregorios, Knanaya Church bishop Kuriakose Mar Severios, Geevarghese Mar Coorilos, metropolitan of Malankara Orthodox Church, Rajya Sabha former deputy chairman P.J. Kurien, Anto Antony, MP, MLAs Mathew T. Thomas and Raju Abraham, Higher Education Secretary Usha Titus, and former municipal chairman of Thiruvalla R. Jayakumar offered felicitations.
The new metropolitan, in his message, emphasised on the need to conserve nature and called on to work towards ensuring the welfare of all humans. “While we take pride on the fact that the country is on a growth path, one should not forget that it still finds a place among the countries having extreme poverty conditions as per the Global Hunger Index. About 14% of the total population lack access to nutritional food while a majority of children under the age of five years are anaemic. The followers of the church should not go after luxury by being insensitive to the decrement amidst growth and penury amidst wealth,” he said.
The new Mar Thoma Metropolitan, who was consecrated as Episcopa on December 9, 1989, and given the tittle Suffragan Metropolitan on July 12, 2020, succeeds Joseph Mar Thoma, who passed away on October 18.
