KOCHI: The silver jubilee celebration of the elevation of Syro-Malabar Church as a Major Archi Episcopal Church will be held at Mount St Thomas, Kakkanad, the headquarters of the Church, on Friday. Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church Louis Raphaël Sako will inaugurate the function. Apostolic Nuncio to India Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro will preside over it.
Syro-Malabar Church head Cardinal Mar George Alencherry; Archbishop Cyril Vasil from the Congregation for Oriental Churches,Vatican; Catholic Bishops Conference of India president Cardinal Baselios Mar Cleemis; former Verapoly Archbishop Francis Kallarakkal; Bishop Mar Antony Kariyil; Supreme Court Judge Justice Kurian Joseph; Mother General of Congregation of the Mother of Carmel Sr Sibi; All Kerala Catholic Congress president Biju Parayannilam; Mathruvedi secretary Jiji Jacob and SMYM president Arun Davis will speak.
Syro-Malabar Church was bestowed the status of Major Archi Episcopal Church by Pope John Paul II on December 16, 1992. The Church has 34 dioceses within and outside India, Exarchate in Canada and Apostolic Visitations to New Zealand and Europe.