KOCHI: The faithful and officials of the Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church welcomed Joseph Mor Gregorios, who was anointed as the new Catholicos, the head of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, as he returned to Kerala on Sunday after the ceremony in Lebanon last week. The prayers and ceremony held at St Athanasius Cathedral in Puthencruz to celebrate the occasion were attended by thousands of people from across the state.
Mor Clemis Daniel Kourieh, Archbishop of Beirut, Mor Timotheos Matta Al-Khoury, Archbishop of Homs, Mor Boutros Kassis is the current Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo, and Mor Christophorous Markose, Patriarchal Secretary for Malankara Affairs, also attended the event, representing Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church.
Bishops and priests received the new leader at Kochi Airport. Speaking at the event, Union minister George Kurian said that he is proud to address him (Joseph Mor Gregorios), the Catholicos of the church. “It is a blessing from God, and I wish you the best. The blessing to become the Catholicos is the result of the doings and pure thoughts,” he said.
The Catholicos also paid a visit to the tomb of Thomas Mor Gregorios Thomas I at St Athanasiou’s Jacobite Syrian Cathedral and prayed before the event. Baselious Mar Cleemis, Mar Raphel Thattil, Archbishop of the Syro Malabar Church, and other religious heads also attended the event and prayed for the Catholicos.
Minister for Law and Industries P Rajeeve, representing the state government, honoured the Catholicos and offered the support of the state government for the activities of the church. K V Thomas, the Kerala state special officer in Delhi, MP Benny Behnan, MLA Sreenijin, MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan and others attended the ceremony.
Joseph Mor Gregorios was anointed by Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, on March 25. Catholicos is the second-highest title in the Church after Patriarch.