Kochi, Mar 25 (PTI) The Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church in India has a new spiritual head, as Joseph Mor Gregorious, the Malankara Metropolitan, was elevated to the position of Catholicos, also known as Maphrian, at a ceremony held in Lebanon on Tuesday evening.
The ordination of the 81st Catholicos took place at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Beirut, Lebanon. He succeeded the late Baselious Thomas I, who passed away on 31 October last year.
He assumed the position of Catholicos under the name Baselios Joseph, Church sources said here.
The ceremony was led by Ignatius Aphrem II, the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East.
The Catholicos is the second-highest authority in the Church after the Patriarch.
According to a Church statement, the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch dates back to the first century and is believed to have been founded by St Peter, the Chief of the Apostles, in Antioch.
The Universal Syrian Orthodox Church is led by the Patriarch, currently Ignatius Aphrem II, who is the 123rd Patriarch in direct succession from St Peter.
The consecration ceremony in Beirut was attended by the heads of several churches, including the Syrian Catholic Church and the Syro-Malankara Church.
A delegation led by Law Minister P Rajeev represented the Kerala government at the ceremony, while a delegation from the central government, led by former Union Minister V Muraleedharan, also attended. PTI TGB TGB ROH
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