Zacharias Mar Theophilus, head of the Malabar diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, died here on Tuesday.
The metropolitan, aged 65, breathed his last at MVR Cancer Centre here.
The funeral will be held at the Thadakam Christhusishya Ashram, Coimbatore.
Born at Changaroor in Pathanamthitta district in 1952, M.C. Cherian (his actual name) studied theology at a seminary in Kottayam and entered priesthood in 1977. He was consecrated as bishop in 2005 and took the name Zacharias Mar Theophilus.
In December 2006 he was made metropolitan of the Malabar diocese of the Church.