PATHANAMTHITTA: The funeral rites of Believers Eastern Church Metropolitan Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan (formerly K P Yohannan), who died in a car accident in the United States on Wednesday, will be held at the church headquarters at Tiruvalla.
Church spokesperson Fr Sijo Pandapallil said that while he discussed the issue with the senior bishops and others, everyone was of the opinion that the metropolitan should be given the final farewell at Tiruvalla. However, a final decision needs to be taken by the Synod, a council of bishops, in this regard.
Athanasius Yohan passed away due to a sudden cardiac arrest while he was under intensive care at a hospital in Dallas, Texas, following a car accident that happened during his morning walk.
On Tuesday, around 5.25 pm Indian Standard Time (IST), the metropolitan was out for a morning walk. Usually, he goes for morning walk in the Believers’ Church campus in Dallas. However, at the time of the accident, he was on a county road, which had no walkway, Pandapallil said.
Soon after the accident, police rushed to the spot and he was airlifted to a Dallas hospital. According to the Church official, surgery was performed on his lungs and he was under medical observation for 24 hours.