By Matters India Reporter
Kochi, Oct 25, 2023: The Vatican Dicastery for Church Unity has appointed Jesuit Father Jijimon Puthuveettilkalam as a member of the International Theological Commission for Church Unity Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Church.
The appointment of the member of the Kerala Jesuit province is for five years, says a press release from the Media Commission of the Syro-Malabar Church.
The Vatican Commission for the Theology of Ecclesiastical Unity is responsible for conducting theological dialogue and drawing up guidelines for unity with Orthodox Church groups. The commission operates under the Vatican office of the Pontifical Council for the Unity of Christian Churches.
Father Gjimon entered the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits in 2001. In addition to a BA in English Literature and MA in Philosophy and Syriac Literature, the Jesuit priest holds a BA in Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and a MA in Syriac Studies from the University of Oxford, England. He is currently doing doctoral research on the theology of the East Syriac Church Fathers at the University of Oxford.
He works as a Vatican observer of the Catholic Church’s theological dialogue with the Assyrian Church of the East in Iraq, a member of the Council of St Theosevia Centre for the Study of Christian Spirituality in England, and a member of the Central Liturgical Committee of the Syro-Malabar Church.
Father Puthuveettilkalam was ordained a priest on August 19, 2017. He was born as the fourth son of P T Joseph and Tresiamma. His brother Teji is a priest of the archdiocese of Changanacherry, Kerala.
Giving a major responsibility to a young person who has been a priest for “just 6 years” is appreciated. However, it is my view that a more experienced priest or a lay person could have been the right choice.
Humble work for ecumenism is the need of the hour