Baselios Cleemis

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Baselios Cleemis
Major Archbishop-Catholicos , Basileus , Catholicos of India and all East on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Thomas the Apostle of the Catholic Church [1]
Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Cardinal Thottunkal.jpg
Church Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
ArchdioceseTrivandrum
See Trivandrum
Elected8 February 2007
Installed5 March 2007
Predecessor Cyril Baselios
Other post(s)
Previous post(s)
  • Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum (2001–2003)
  • Titular Bishop of Chayal (2001–2003)
  • Bishop of Tiruvalla (2003–2006)
  • Archbishop of Tiruvalla (2006–2007)
Orders
Ordination11 June 1986
by Cyril Baselios
Consecration15 August 2001
by Cyril Baselios
Created cardinal24 November 2012
by Pope Benedict XVI
Rank Cardinal priest, Catholicos, Major Archbishop
Personal details
Born
Isaac Thottumkal

(1959-06-15) 15 June 1959 (age 65)
Mukkoor, Thiruvalla, Kerala, India
ParentsMathew Thottumkal
Annamma Thottumkal
Alma mater SB College Changanasserry
Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram Pontifical Athenaeum
Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
MottoTo unite in love
Coat of arms Coat of arms of Baselios Cleemis.svg
Styles of
Baselios Cardinal Cleemis
Coat of arms of Baselios Cleemis.svg
Reference style His Beatitude
Spoken styleYour Beatitude
Informal style Cardinal
Baselios Cleemis In liturgical vestments, 2015 Kardinal Thottunkal 2.JPG
Baselios Cleemis In liturgical vestments, 2015

Baselios Cleemis (born 15 June 1959) is the current major archbishop-catholicos [2] of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. He was named to the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI on 24 November 2012. [3] [4]

Contents

At the moment of his selection, he was the youngest member of the College of Cardinals. He is the first cardinal of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. On 31 January 2013, he was named a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He served as President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India from 2014 to 2018, and is currently the president of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council. [5]

Early life

Baselios Cleemis was born on 15 June 1959 as Isaac Thottumkal (alternatively spelled as Thottunkal) in Mukkoor, a small village close to Mallappally town in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala in South India. His parents are Mathew and Annamma Thottumkal. [6] The Thottumkal (Powathikunnel Thottumkal) family is a part of the Pakalomattom family, which is an ancient Saint Thomas Christian family in Kerala. [7] [6]

Education

After graduating with BA. Economics from SB College Changanassery, he attended the Minor Seminary Formation in Tiruvalla from 1976 to 1979. He received a B.Phil. degree from St. Joseph's Pontifical Institute, Mangalapuzha, Aluva, where he attended from 1979 to 1982. He received a B.Th. degree from the Papal Seminary, Pune where he attended from 1983 to 1986. Thottunkal was ordained a priest on 11 June 1986. He studied for the Master of Theology in DVK Pontifical Athenaeum, Bangalore where he attended from 1986 to 1989. Thottunkal took his Doctorate in Ecumenical Theology from Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome in 1997. [8] [9]

Episcopal career

On his return from Rome he became the Vicar General (Proto Syncellus) of the Eparchy of Bathery. Pope John Paul II nominated Aboon Isaac Mar Cleemis as Apostolic Visitor and the Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum on 18 June 2001 for the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church residing in North America and Europe. He was consecrated on 15 August 2001 at Tirumoolapuram, Tiruvalla, assuming the name Isaac Mar Cleemis.

The Holy See appointed Cleemis as sixth Bishop of the Eparchy of Tiruvalla on 11 September 2003. Cleemis was installed as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla on 10 June 2006.

Baselios Cleemis was unanimously elected as the Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church through the first Holy Episcopal Synod of election of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church convoked on 7–10 February 2007 at Catholicate Centre, Pattom, Trivandrum. Pope Benedict XVI approved the election on 9 February and it was announced on 10 February at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum. He assumed the name Baselios Cleemis; Cleemis was enthroned the Second Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 5 March 2007 at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum. Cardinal Telesphore Toppo and Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil participated in the installation ceremony.

Baselios Cleemis was elevated to the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI on 24 November 2012. [4] As Cardinal-Priest he was assigned the titular church of San Gregorio VII. He is the first bishop of the Syro-Malankara Church and the fifth Keralite to be named a cardinal. He said it was a sign of the Pope's appreciation of Indian Catholics' "unity in diversity", and cited the witness, the defense of human life, and the example of authentic prayer given by Mother Teresa of Kolkata. [10]

On 31 January 2013, Cleemis was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to serve as a Member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Cleemis participated as a cardinal-elector in the conclave that elected Pope Francis. [3] Because he was the first bishop from the Syro-Malankara Church to be made cardinal, he also was the first cardinal from the Syro-Malankara Church ever to participate as a cardinal-elector in a papal conclave. [11]

Full Name and Titles

His Eminent Beatitude Cardinal, Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholica Bava, Major Archbishop-Catholicos of Thiruvananthapuram. Baselios [12] is also a title used in the Eastern Catholic churches for bishops of high rank granted by the Holy See to the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 6 November 1995. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syro-Malankara Catholic Church</span> Western Catholic church

The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, also known as the Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic sui iuris particular church in full communion with the worldwide Catholic Church possessing self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. It is one of the major archiepiscopal churches of the Catholic Church. It is headed by Major Archbishop Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos of the Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum based in Kerala, India. With more than 1096 parishes, it is one of India's biggest church evangelical establishments.

A catholicos is the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and, in some cases, it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient Greek καθολικός, derived from καθ' ὅλου from κατά and ὅλος, meaning "concerning the whole, universal, general"; it originally designated a financial or civil office in the Roman Empire.

In the Catholic Church, an apostolic visitor is a papal representative with a transient mission to perform a canonical visitation of relatively short duration. The visitor is deputed to investigate a special circumstance in a diocese or country, and to submit a report to the Holy See at the conclusion of the investigation.

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Panikkervettil Thomas Panicker Geevarghese, known formally as Geevarghese Mar Ivanios, was a prominent Indian bishop and the first metropolitan archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. He was a key figure in the Malankara Reunion Movement, which sought to reunite the Malankara Church with the Catholic Church, culminating in his joining the Roman Catholic Church in 1930 along with a small group of followers.

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References

  1. "Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos". Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. Archived from the original on 26 April 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  2. "Major Archbishop-Catholicos" . Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  3. 1 2 Miranda, Salvador. "Conclave of March 2013". The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Florida International University. OCLC   53276621.
  4. 1 2 3 "Annuncio di Concistoro per la Creazione di Sei Nuovi Cardinali" (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 24 October 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013.
  5. "Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council". KCBC . Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  6. 1 2 "His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos". www.catholicate.net. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  7. "History of Pakalomattom Family". Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  8. "Les six nouveaux cardinaux de Benoît XVI". La Croix. 24 October 2012 via www.la-croix.com.
  9. "THOTTUNKAL Card. Baselios Cleemis". press.vatican.va.
  10. "Cardinal-designate says pope appreciates diversity of Indian church". www.catholicnews.com. 25 October 2012. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  11. "Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis left for Rome". Malankara Catholic News. 28 February 2013. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  12. "hierarchy_home". 26 April 2010. Archived from the original on 26 April 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Paulos Philoxinos Ayyamkulangara
 TITULAR 
Titular Bishop of Chayal
18 June 2001 – 11 September 2003
Succeeded by
Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum
18 June 2001 – 11 September 2003
Succeeded by
Joseph Thomas Konnath
Preceded by Bishop of Tiruvalla
11 September 2003 – 15 May 2006
Diocese elevated to archdiocese
Diocese elevated to archdiocese Archbishop of Tiruvalla
15 May 2006 – 10 February 2007
Succeeded by
Thomas Koorilos Chakkalapadickal
Preceded by Major Archbishop of Trivandrum
10 February 2007 –
Incumbent
President of the Synod of the Syro-Malankarese Church
10 February 2007 –
No prior officeholder Second Vice-President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of India
19 February 2008 – 1 March 2010
Succeeded by
George Punnakottil
Preceded by Vice-President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of India
1 March 2010 – 12 February 2014
Succeeded by
Preceded by Cardinal-Priest of San Gregorio VII
24 November 2012 –
Incumbent
Preceded by President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of India
12 February 2014 – 9 February 2018
Succeeded by