Catholicos Baselios Thomas I has been elected the metropolitan trustee of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church. The elections were held at the Patriarchal Centre, Puthenkurisu, on Monday.
The elections to the posts of metropolitan trustee, priest trustee, lay trustee and the lay secretary were held through secret ballot.
Peter K. Elias was elected lay secretary of the Church; C. K. Shaji Choondayil has been elected the lay trustee and Father Sleeba Paul Vattavelil was elected the priest trustee, Church sources said.
Initial reports said the Catholicos won the election by a margin of around 130 votes against Thomas Mar Thimothios, senior bishop and head of the Kottayam diocese of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church.
Candidates contested in the elections under the leadership of the Catholicos and the Kottayam bishop.
Around 3,000 delegates from 600 churches voted in the elections that were held after a gap of 16 years. Baby M. Varghese was the returning officer for the elections.
The voting was held in the afternoon. The first results were available after 6.30 p. m., Church sources said.