Moran mor Baselios Cleemis
Encyclopedia
Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis (born Isaac Thottunkal on June 15, 1959) is the Major Archbishop
Catholicos
of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
.
Mor Cleemis was born at Mukkoor, Tiruvalla
, Kerala
, India.
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 June 11, 1986. He studied for the Master of Theology
in Dharmaram College, 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.
(Proto Syncellus) of the Eparchy of Bathery. Pope
John Paul II nominated Thottunkal as Apostolic Visitor
and the Auxiliary Bishop
of Trivandrum on 18 June 2001 for the Syro-Malankarites
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 September 11, 2003. Cleemis was installed as the first Metropolitan Archbishop
of the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla
on June 10, 2006.
Mor Cleemis was elected the Second Major Archbishop
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
. Baselios Cleemis was enthroned the Second Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 5 March 2007 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom. Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil participated in the installation ceremony.
Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis visited the Pope Benedict XVI
on 28 May 2007 at Vatican and received ecclesiastical Communion. The Congregation for the Oriental Churches
in Rome gave a reception for him on his first visit to the Holy See.
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...
Catholicos
Catholicos
Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases is borne by the designated head of an autonomous church, in which case the holder might have other titles such as Patriarch...
of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See...
.
Mor Cleemis was born at Mukkoor, Tiruvalla
Tiruvalla
Tiruvalla , is a city and a Taluk headquarters located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala in South India, spread over an area of 27.94 km2...
, 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....
, India.
Education
He attended the Minor Seminary Formation in Tiruvalla from 1976 to 1979. He received a B.Phil.Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy is the title of an academic degree. The degree usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects...
degree from St. Joseph's Pontifical Institute, Mangalapuzha, Aluva
Mangalapuzha Seminary
St. Joseph Pontifical Seminary, Mangalapuzha, Aluva, Kerala, India is the largest major seminary of the Syro-Malabar Church of the St. Thomas Christians and one of the largest major seminaries in the world. It has a history of more than 500 years and could be considered as the continuation of...
where he attended from 1979 to 1982. He received a B.Th.
Bachelor of Theology
The Bachelor of Theology is a three to five year undergraduate degree in theological disciplines. Candidates for this degree typically must complete course work in Greek or Hebrew, as well as systematic theology, biblical theology, ethics, homiletics and Christian ministry...
degree from the Papal Seminary, Pune where he attended from 1983 to 1986. Thottunkal was ordained a priest on June 11, 1986. He studied for the Master of Theology
Master of Theology
A Master of Theology is an advanced theological research degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries.-North America:In North America, the Master of Theology is considered by the Association of Theological Schools to be the minimum educational credential for teaching...
in Dharmaram College, Bangalore where he attended from 1986 to 1989. Thottunkal took his Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Ecumenical Theology from Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1997.
Career
On his return from Rome he became the Vicar GeneralVicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
(Proto Syncellus) of the Eparchy of Bathery. Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
John Paul II nominated Thottunkal as 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...
and the Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Trivandrum on 18 June 2001 for the Syro-Malankarites
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See...
residing in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He was consecrated on 15 August 2001 at Tirumoolapuram, Tiruvalla
Tiruvalla
Tiruvalla , is a city and a Taluk headquarters located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala in South India, spread over an area of 27.94 km2...
, assuming the name Isaac Mar Cleemis.
The Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
appointed Cleemis as sixth Bishop of the Eparchy
Eparchy
Eparchy is an anglicized Greek word , authentically Latinized as eparchia and loosely translating as 'rule over something,' like province, prefecture, or territory, to have the jurisdiction over, it has specific meanings both in politics, history and in the hierarchy of the Eastern Christian...
of Tiruvalla
Tiruvalla
Tiruvalla , is a city and a Taluk headquarters located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala in South India, spread over an area of 27.94 km2...
on September 11, 2003. Cleemis was installed as the first Metropolitan Archbishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
of the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla
Syro-Malankara Catholic Archieparchy of Tiruvalla
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Archeparchy of Tiruvalla is an archeparchy of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in Tiruvalla, in Kerala, India. Metropolitan Archbishop Aboon Mor Thomas Koorilos currently presides. The seat of the eparchy is at St...
on June 10, 2006.
Mor Cleemis was elected the Second 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...
Catholicos
Catholicos
Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases is borne by the designated head of an autonomous church, in which case the holder might have other titles such as Patriarch...
of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church through the first Holy Episcopal Synod of election of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See...
convoked on 7–10 February 2007 at Catholicate Centre, Pattom
Pattom
Pattom is a suburb of the Thiruvananthapuram city in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located approximately 6 kilometres north of central Thiruvananthapuram. Pattom is one of the important administration and shopping centres of the Thiruvananthapuram city...
, Trivandrum. Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
approved the election on 9 February and it was announced on 10 February at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum
St. Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum
St. Mary's Malankara Syrian Catholic Cathedral Basilica Pattom , Trivandrum is the central place of worship of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. It is the See of the Major Archbishop Catholicos of Trivandrum...
. Baselios Cleemis was enthroned the Second Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 5 March 2007 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom. Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil participated in the installation ceremony.
Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis visited the Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
on 28 May 2007 at Vatican and received ecclesiastical Communion. 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,...
in Rome gave a reception for him on his first visit to the Holy See.