Syro-Malabar Church appoints three new auxiliary bishops

KOCHI: Syro-malabar Church Major Archbishop Cardinal Mar George Alencherry has appointed Fr Alex Tharamangalam, Fr Joseph Kollamparambil and Fr Thomas Padiyath as the auxiliary bishops on Thursday. The announcement was made on the concluding day of the Synod of Bishops at Mount St Thomas on Thursday. Fr Tharamangalam is appointed at the eparchy of Mananthavady and both Fr Kollamparambil and Fr Padiyath at the eparchy of Shamshabad.

The Church authorities said prior to their election, an approval from the Holy Father was obtained through Apostolic Nuncio. Since Fr Tharamangalam was in Germany, he could not attend the function.Meanwhile, Fr Kollamparambil and Fr Padiyath were given the insignia by the cardinal and Shamshabad eparchy bishop Mar Raphael Thattil.

The date of the episcopal ordination of bishops designate will be announced later. With this, the total number of bishops in the Syro-Malabar Church has gone up to 65.The cardinal accepted the resignation of Mar Jacob Muricken, auxiliary bishop of the eparchy of Pala. He had submitted it on August 16. The resignation was accepted with the consent of the Permanent Synod. The cardinal said Mar Muricken had expressed his inner desire to pursue monastic life since 2017, but taking into account the directive of the Apostolic See, he was asked to continue his Episcopal ministry. “The major archbishop’s decision to accept the resignation of Bishop Muricken was informed to the Apostolic See,” he said.

Auxiliary bishops-elect
Fr Tharamangalam, a priest from the Archeparchy of Thalassery, was born in 1958. He was ordained as a priest in 1983. He holds a doctorate in philosophy from the Gregorian University, Rome. He had served in various parishes under the Archeparchy of Thalassery. He was serving as a vicar in the parish of Madathil in the Archeparchy.

Fr Kollamparambil, a priest from the Eparchy of Pala, was born in 1955. He was ordained a priest on December 1981. He has been working as Syncellus for Gujarat Mission area in the eparchy of Shamshabad. He had also served as a senate member of Mahatma Gandhi University.  Fr Padiyath, a priest from the Archeparchy of Changanassery was born in 1969. He was ordained a priest on December 1994. The bishop designate served as an assistant vicar in Athirampuzha parish and also as the secretary to Archbishop Joseph Powathil.