From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Nov 10: Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath, Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur has been elected as the new president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI).
The election was held at the ongoing 35th General Body Meeting of the CBCI at St.John’s National Academy of Health Sciences in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Before the elections, His Eminence George Cardinal Alencherry announced that he would not be available for elections due to his age.
Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath is the third and the present Metropolitan Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur from 2007.
Archbishop Andrews was born at Pudukkad, in Trichur district on December 13, 1951. He was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Trichur on March 14, 1977. He holds Bachelor’s Degree in Theology and Doctor’s Degree in Eastern Canon Law (DOCL) from the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome.
He was nominated the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Trichur on March 19, 2004 when he was serving as the President of the Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Ordinary Tribunal of Ernakulam – Angamaly, the Syncellus of the Archeparchy, the Working Chairman and Managing Director of Jeevan Telecasting Corporation and the President of the Oriental Canon Law Society of India.
He was ordained Bishop on May 1, 2004. He was appointed as the Archbishop of Trichur on January 22, 2007. He was the Secretary General and President of the Kerala Catholic Bishop’s Council (KCBC) and the Chairman of the KCBC Education Commission. He was the first vice-president of the CBCI.
Pope Francis appointed him in 2021 as one of the members of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. The Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts is a dicastery of the Roman Curia, which interprets the laws of the Church. Abp. Andrews Thazhath is a world-renowned expert in Oriental Code of Canon Law.
Archbishop George Antonysamy, Metropolitan Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore (Chennai) was elected first vice-president of the CBCI.
Archbishop George Antonysamy was born on February 15, 1952 in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. He did his early school education in his native place and then joined St. Augustine’s Minor Seminary. On August 4, 2005, Monsignor George Antonysamy was elected as titular archbishop of Sulci in Sardinia, Italy, by Pope Benedict XVI and had his episcopal ordination on September 21, 2005 in Trichy.
Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Archbishop George Antonysamy, then Apostolic Nuncio to West African Countries, as the new Archbishop of Madras and Mylapore on November 21, 2012.
Bishop Mar Joseph Thomas, Bishop of the Eparchy of Batheri was elected as the second vice-president of CBCI.
Bishop Joseph Mar Thomas was born as Joseph Konnath in the village of Vadaserikkara in the district of Pathanamthitta, on May 13, 1952. He joined the St Aloysius Seminary in June 1968.
He entered Pontifical Seminary, Alwaye, for completing bachelor’s degree in theology. Later as part of his priestly studies. He was ordained priest on December 23, 1978. After his ordination Father Joseph Konnathu served in various parishes. In 1979, he was sent to Kollam (Kadappakkada) as the first resident vicar of the St Thomas Malankara Catholic Church, Kadappakada.
Bishop Joseph Thomas was appointed as the third bishop of the eparchy of Bathery. The enthronement of the new bishop was held on April 13, 2010.
Archbishop Felix Machado, Bishop of Vasai was re-elected as the Secretary General of the CBCI for another term.
Archbishop Felix Anthony Machado was born on June 6, 1948, in Remedy in Vasai diocese. He was ordained priest on October 30, 1976, for the Archdiocese of Bombay.
On May 22, 1998, he was incardinated in the diocese of Vasai. He was appointed as the Bishop of Nashik on Jan. 16, 2008, and was ordained on March 8, 2008. He was later transferred to the diocese of Vasai on November 10, 2009, and was installed on Decembver 19, 2009. Pope Benedict XVI granted him the personal title of Archbishop.
The ongoing CBCI 35th General Body Meeting at St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences in Bengaluru continued its deliberations on Thursday. His Eminence Baselios Cardinal Cleemis, Major-Archbishop Catholicos of the Archdiocese of Trivandrum, Syro-Malabar Catholic Church celebrated the Holy Eucharist.
In the Homily Cardinal Cleemis reminded all the Bishops about their various duties and ministries as Episkopoi of Jesus Christ: the ministry of authentic teaching and the ministry witnessing. Bishops are the official teachers of the Church and so they have a confirmed duty of preaching Jesus everywhere they go and everywhere they live and witness Him through their ministries, he said.
Bishop Ivan Pereira presented the regional reports. Rev Fr Edward Joseph, the Provincial Superior of the Redemptorists, gave the recollection talk.