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Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews II steps down: Baselios Marthoma Didimos I New Catholicos IOH News Service Parumala: October 31 2005: Catholicos Baselios
Marthoma Mathews II, supreme Head of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian
Church and Malankara Metropolitan, stepped down from the highest
ecclesiastical position of the Church on Sunday. Immediately after the
stepping down of the his position as Malankara Metropolitan, Catholicos
Elect Thomas Mar Thimothios assumed the office of Malankara
Metropolitan. The new Catholicos was enthroned as His Holiness Baselios
Marthoma Didimos I during the Holy Eucharist at Parumala Church today. His Holiness sent his resignation letter in the
afternoon, after celebrating Holy Eucharist in Devalokam Aramana chapel
here, to Thomas Mar Athanasios, secretary of the Holy Episcopal synod.
Thereafter an urgent meeting of the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Church
was convened on Sunday night at Parumala Seminary, In Kerala. Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews II, who was
elected to the highest post by the Malankara Association held in 1991,
is a charismatic personality having wide acceptance in the society. Thomas Mar Themothios who will be enthroned as Catholicos of the East 30-10-2005. PATHANAMTHITTA: Thomas Mar Themothios will be enthroned as Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan at St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s church in Parumala on Monday following the abdication of the throne by Catholicos Baselius Mar Thoma Mathews II on Sunday.
In a letter to the Church Synod on Sunday, the Catholicos expressed his desire to abdicate the throne owing to his old age and ill health, according to Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church secretary Alexander Karackal and public relations officer Jose Parakkadavil. A meeting of the Synod held at Parumala on Sunday, with Catholicos-designate Thomas Mar Themothios in the chair, considered his request and decided to enthrone the new Catholicos on Monday. The enthronement will be done during the celebration of the holy Eucharist beginning 7 a.m. Thomas Mar Makarios will be the chief celebrant of the holy Eucharist. Synod will lead ceremony The Synod, comprising all Metropolitans of the Church, will lead the enthronement ceremony, according to Dr. Karackal. The 85-year-old Catholicos-designate was consecrated as bishop on August 24, 1966 and he has been serving as Metropolitan of the Malabar diocese of the Church. The 91-year-old Catholicos was consecrated as bishop in 1953. He became the Catholicos following the abdication of the throne by his predecessor Baselius Mar Thoma Mathews I in 1991. Thomas Mar Themothios enthroned as Catholicos
Parumala Oct 31 2005 Catholicos-designate Thomas Mar Themothios has been enthroned as Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan. The enthronment was held following the abdication of the throne by the Catholicos Baselious Marthoma Mathews II, Supremo of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church yesterday due to old age and ill health. The ceremony was held at the St Paul's Church here today during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Bishop Thomas Mar Makarios, Metropolitan of the Europe and Canada Diocese of the Church was the main celebrant of the Holy Eucharist. Thomas Mar Themothios was consecrated as Bishop on August 24, 1966 and has been serving as Metropolitan of the Malabar Diocese of the church. He is the seventh Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Church. The abdicated Catholicos was the sixth Catholicos of the East and 19th Malankara Metropolitan. He was consecrated as Episcopa on May 15, 1953 and was the oldest serving Bishop of Christian denominations in the world. He took charge as Malankara Metropolitan on April 27, 1991 following the abdication of the throne by the then Catholicos Mathews I Bava. He was entroned as Catholicos of the East on April 29, 1991 at Parumala Seminary. Enthronement of New Catholicos Indian Orthodox Herald News Service Kottayam: November 1 2005:: Baselios
Marthoma Mathews II Makes the Abdication a Gracious Event for the
Orthodox Church. For the first time in the history of the Church, the newly ordained
Catholicos was privileged with the physical presence of his predecessor
during the installation ceremony. Invoking prayers from one and all,
when Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews II offered the shepherd Staff
– Amsavadi - and adorned the successor with three engelpions – one
of Cross and another of St. Mary and another of St. Thomas, with the
words – the Spiritual authority and the Temporal authority that the
Church entrusted with me fourteen years ago is now handed over to you
with all the satisfaction of the heart - it was a divine will that was
fulfilled. Choking the eyes and hearts of all, when His Holiness
Marthoma Mathews II Bava stood up, at the conclusion of the ceremony, to
hug and garland his successor, it was a meeting of the Past and the
Present, giving way for the latter. We Keep The Doors Wide Open: His Holiness Marthoma Didymos I Indian Orthodox Herald News Service Kottayam: November 2 2005: The Supreme Head of
the Church of Malankara His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Didymos I said he
was praying for peace not only in the church and for believers, but in
the entire nation. Talking to newspersons after assuming the highest
position of the church of Malankara at the church headquarters at
Devalokam, His Holiness said his desire to establish peace with the
patriarch faction is his primary concern. He is ready to start peace
talks based on the constitution of the church with the Patriarch
faction, if they take the initiative. Referring on a media report of an alleged ultimatum
given by the Catholicos Baselios Thomas I, head of the Patriarch
faction, that they would take possession of the churches under dispute
if the government did not take steps to re-open them, he declined.
"Violence is not the path of the Orthodox church. The government
should take steps to reopen the churches under dispute on the basis of
the court verdict,’’ His Holiness said. |
