Antony Padiyara
Encyclopedia
Antony Padiyara was an India
n prelate
of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
. He was Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly from 1985 to 1996, having previously served as Bishop of Ootacamund (1955–1970) and Archbishop of Changanassery (1970–1985). He was elevated to the cardinalate
in 1988.
, Kerala
, Antony Padiyara studied at St. Peter's Regional Seminary in Bangalore
and was ordained
to the priesthood
on December 19, 1945. He was incardinated into the Latin Rite Diocese of Coimbatore, where he served as curate
at Peria Kodiveri and pastor
at Kollegal
and Ootacamund
between 1946 and 1952. He became rector
of the minor seminary
in 1952 and a professor
at St. Peter's Regional Seminary in 1954.
On July 3, 1955, Padiyara was appointed Bishop of Ootacamund by Pope Pius XII
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following October 16 from Bishop René-Jean-Baptiste-Germain Feuga, with Bishop Francis Xavier Muthappa and Archbishop Matthew Kavukattu serving as co-consecrators
. After attending the Second Vatican Council
from 1962 to 1965, Padiyara returned to the Syro-Malabar Rite
upon being promoted to Archbishop of Changanassery on June 14, 1970. He was elected Vice President
of the Indian Episcopal Conference
(1976), President
of the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council
(1983), and President of the Syro-Malabar Bishops Conference (1984). In one of the acts of his short-lived papacy, Pope John Paul I
named him Apostolic Visitor
to the Syro-Malabar Catholics in Kerala on September 8, 1978.
Padiyara was appointed Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly by Pope John Paul II
on April 23, 1985. He was created Cardinal Priest
of S. Maria "Regina Pacis" a Monte Verde in the consistory
of June 28, 1988. When the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly was elevated to the rank of a major archdiocese
on December 16, 1992, Padiyara became a Major Archbishop
and thus head of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
. During this period, the powers of Major Archbishop
were vested in the Pontifical Delegate Mar Abraham Kattumana
(1992–1995). Within the Roman Curia
, he was a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
and the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Oriental Canon Law
. After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, he resigned as Major Archbishop on November 11, 1996, after eleven years of service. He was awarded the Padma Shri
in 1998.
He later died at the Cardinal Padiyara Nature Cure Centre in Kakkanad
, which he himself had founded, aged 79. He is buried in St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica in Ernakulam
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...
. He was Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly from 1985 to 1996, having previously served as Bishop of Ootacamund (1955–1970) and Archbishop of Changanassery (1970–1985). He was elevated to the cardinalate
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
in 1988.
Biography
Born in ManimalaManimala
Manimala is an area in the Kottayam district of Kerala in India. The population is about 10,000, of whom the majority are farmers whose main income comes from rubber plantations. The people are from several religions and castes. Manimala and nearby areas are thickly populated by Syrian Catholics...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, Antony Padiyara studied at St. Peter's Regional Seminary in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
and was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
on December 19, 1945. He was incardinated into the Latin Rite Diocese of Coimbatore, where he served as curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at Peria Kodiveri and pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
at Kollegal
Kollegal
Kollegal is one of the major taluks in the Chamrajnagar District of Karnataka State in the south of India. Kollegal is well known for its silk industry which attracts traders from all over the state.-History:...
and Ootacamund
Ootacamund
Ootacamund , is a town, a municipality and the district capital of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Ootacamund is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills...
between 1946 and 1952. He became rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the minor seminary
Minor seminary
A minor seminary is a secondary boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming priests. They are generally Roman Catholic institutions, and designed to prepare boys both academically and spiritually for vocations to the priesthood...
in 1952 and a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at St. Peter's Regional Seminary in 1954.
On July 3, 1955, Padiyara was appointed Bishop of Ootacamund by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on the following October 16 from Bishop René-Jean-Baptiste-Germain Feuga, with Bishop Francis Xavier Muthappa and Archbishop Matthew Kavukattu serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
. After attending the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
from 1962 to 1965, Padiyara returned to the Syro-Malabar Rite
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...
upon being promoted to Archbishop of Changanassery on June 14, 1970. He was elected Vice President
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of the Indian Episcopal Conference
Catholic Bishops' Conference of India
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India is the episcopal conference of the Catholic bishops of India. It was first convened in September 1944, in Madras . Currently the CBCI has 212 members and 38 honorary members, and is headquartered in New Delhi, the capital of India...
(1976), President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council
Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council
The Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council is a permanent association of the Catholic bishops in Kerala. It is an association of three rites of the Catholic Church - the Latin, the Syro Malabar and the Syro Malankara...
(1983), and President of the Syro-Malabar Bishops Conference (1984). In one of the acts of his short-lived papacy, Pope John Paul I
Pope John Paul I
John Paul I , born Albino Luciani, , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and as Sovereign of Vatican City from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes...
named him Apostolic Visitor
Apostolic visitor
In the Catholic Church, an apostolic visitor is a papal representative with a transient mission to perform a canonical visitation of relatively short duration...
to the Syro-Malabar Catholics in Kerala on September 8, 1978.
Padiyara was appointed Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
on April 23, 1985. He was created Cardinal Priest
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of S. Maria "Regina Pacis" a Monte Verde in the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of June 28, 1988. When the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly was elevated to the rank of a major archdiocese
Major Archbishop
right|200 px|thumb|Archbishop [[Sviatoslav Shevchuk]], Major Archbishop of Kyiv-HalychIn the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop is a title for an hierarch to whose archiepiscopal see is granted the same jurisdiction in his autonomous particular Church that an Eastern patriarch has in...
on December 16, 1992, Padiyara became a Major Archbishop
Major Archbishop
right|200 px|thumb|Archbishop [[Sviatoslav Shevchuk]], Major Archbishop of Kyiv-HalychIn the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop is a title for an hierarch to whose archiepiscopal see is granted the same jurisdiction in his autonomous particular Church that an Eastern patriarch has in...
and thus head of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...
. During this period, the powers of Major Archbishop
Major Archbishop
right|200 px|thumb|Archbishop [[Sviatoslav Shevchuk]], Major Archbishop of Kyiv-HalychIn the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop is a title for an hierarch to whose archiepiscopal see is granted the same jurisdiction in his autonomous particular Church that an Eastern patriarch has in...
were vested in the Pontifical Delegate Mar Abraham Kattumana
Mar Abraham Kattumana
Mar Abraham Kattumana was a Syro Malabar Catholic Archbishop. He was the Pontifical Delegate to the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly...
(1992–1995). Within the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
, he was a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
Congregation for the Oriental Churches
The Congregation for the Oriental Churches is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for contact with the Eastern Catholic Churches for the sake of assisting their development, protecting their rights and also maintaining whole and entire in the one Catholic Church, alongside the liturgical,...
and the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Oriental Canon Law
Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches
The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches is the title of the 1990 codification of the common portions of the Canon Law for the 22 of the 23 sui iuris Churches in the Catholic Church. The Roman or Latin rite Church is guided by its own particular Canons...
. After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, he resigned as Major Archbishop on November 11, 1996, after eleven years of service. He was awarded the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
in 1998.
He later died at the Cardinal Padiyara Nature Cure Centre in Kakkanad
Kakkanad
Kakkanad is a region in the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. This is the part of Kochi where much of its IT industry is based in. It is also the administrative headquarters of the District of Ernakulam ....
, which he himself had founded, aged 79. He is buried in St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica in Ernakulam
Ernakulam
Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...
.