Kochi: Cardinal George Alencherry has completed 10 years of service as the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church.
He observed the anniversary of his assumption of office with no public celebrations and offered Mass on May 29 at the Mount St Thomas Chapel, Kakkanad.
The Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church elected him as the Major Archbishop on May 14, 2011, after the death of Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil. He was then the Bishop of Thucklay in Tamil Nadu. He took charge as the Major Archbishop at the Cathedral Basilica of the Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly in the presence of the bishops of the Synod, and of the representative of the Vatican on May 29, 2011.
Sebastian Vaniyapurackal, the Curia bishop, and the priests of the Curia joined him at the Mass held on May 29.
“Under the major archbishop, new eparchies were created and the boundaries of jurisdiction of many eparchies were extended. With the establishment of the eparchies of Shamshabad and Hosur, Pope Francis has allowed the Syro-Malabar Church to engage in pastoral work over the whole of India. This was a long-cherished dream of the Syro-Malabar Church,” the church said in a statement.
It further added that the pastoral ministry of the Church was expanded on a wider scale with the establishment of the eparchies of Faridabad, Melbourne, Mississauga, Great Britain and the Apostolic Vicariate of Europe.
“Under his guidance and leadership, a new center to coordinate the activities of the Church in Rome was made available. Jurisdiction of the eparchy of Melbourne was extended to the whole of Oceania by Pope Francis on March 21. All these were possible because of the care and attention given by Mar Cardinal Alencherry to the Church,” the church said.
He is working at present as the President of the KCBC and the Inter-Church council.
“Although as the major archbishop, he is the head of the Syro-Malabar Church consisting of 35 eparchies in and outside India, with a membership of 5 million people, he is also the Archbishop of Ernakulam- Angamaly arch eparchy. As a cardinal, he takes part in the conclave that elects the Pope. He is also a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, of the International Council for Catechesis and of the Pontifical Council for promoting Christian Unity,” the statement said.
Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, the Prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, Secretary Archbishop George Gallora and the Vatican Nuncio, Leopold Girelli offered their greetings to the cardinal.
Source: The Times of India