Mathews Mar Severios elected supreme head of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

Severios succeeded Baselios Mar Thomas Poulose II, who passed away in July this year. The 72-year-old priest will be the new Catholicos and Malankara Metropolitan--the religious titles of the supreme head of the church

Thiruvalla(Kerala):Dr Mathews Mar Severios was on Thursday elected as the supreme head of the Kerala-based 2.5 million strong Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

Severios succeeded Baselios Mar Thomas Poulose II, who passed away in July this year. The 72-year-old priest will be the new Catholicos and Malankara Metropolitan--the religious titles of the supreme head of the church.

He was elected unanimously at the meeting of the Malankara Syrian Christian Association, an apex body comprising priests and laity representatives from all parishes under the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

The meeting was held virtually and was attended by 3091 representatives from across the world, a church spokesman said.

"There was only one candidate. There was no voting", the Kottayam-headquartered Church's spokesperson Fr Johns Abraham Konat told PTI after the election process got over at Parumala near here.

Severios will be ordained as the Catholicos at a ritualistic function to be held later. His new name will also be declared then, he said.

The date of his ordination as Catholicos will be decided at the ongoing Synod of the church.

According to the Church, the word 'Catholicos' means "the general head" or "general bishop" and it can be considered as equivalent to "universal Bishop".

"This title and rank is much more ancient than the title Patriarch in the church", the Church claims.

All the metropolitans of the Church including Severios were present at Parumala during the election process while other members participated in the process virtually from across the world.

Severios's election to the supreme post of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church came as he was serving as the Metropolitan of the Diocese of Kandanad West of the church.

Born in 1949 in Vazhoor near Kottayam, Severios took graduation in Chemistry from Kerala University before joining Orthodox Seminary, Kottayam.

After completing his religious education in India, he pursued his higher studies in theology at the Theological Academy, Leningrad, Russia.

Later he joined Oriental Institute, Rome, and completed his MTh and PhD from there.

Ordained a deacon in 1976 and a priest in 1978, Severios was elevated to the post of an Episcopa in 1991 and metropolitan in 1993.

PTI