Kerala Orthodox church chief passes away
TRIVANDRUM: Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, the supreme head of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church of India, has died aged 74 ater contracting coronavirus.
A church spokesperson, announcing his demise, said he was undergoing treatment for POST-COVID-19 complications in a hospital in Parumala in the Pathanamthita district.
The end came early Monday morning. Despite the COVID-19 restrictions against gatherings of people at weddings and funerals, scores of mourners filed past his body seated in state.
Those who came to pay tribute included chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his ministers and opposition leaders.
“He leaves behind a rich legacy of service and compassion,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twiter.
The powerful group is a breakaway faction of the indigenous Malankara Church, a branch of Antioch’s Syrian Orthodox Church, and is headquartered in Kerala.
“Along with his contributions as religious head, he will be remembered for his humanitarian work for the homeless,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said.
The prelate was best known for his interventions in ensuring the equal participation of women in the church’s administration and granting them voting rights in parishes.
His tenure also saw the Supreme Court verdict in his faction’s favour in the long-running dispute with the rival Jacobites over the possession of several churches.
As part of boosting inter-church relations, he also had meetings with all the present heads of the Oriental Orthodox Churches during his short span of time as Catholicos.
Lawmaker and author Dr Shashi Tharoor described him as a man of infinite compassion and grace. “He will be widely mourned,” he said.
Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan said: “Compassion towards fellow beings (is) reflected in the development projects (he) initiated. May his soul rest in peace.”
Parliament speaker Om Birla said he will always be remembered for his benevolence and his efforts for the welfare of the poor and downtrodden.
A church spokesperson said the funeral will be held at the Devalokam church on Tuesday.
The senior priest had been suffering from lung cancer since December 2019. He contracted the coronavirus in February.
The Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan since November 2010, he was the 91st primate on the Apostolic Throne of St Thomas.
Born on August 30, 1946, at Mangad, a nondescript hamlet in Thrissur district of central Kerala, Baselios Marthoma Paulose II was known as KI Paul before taking the holy orders.