Malankara Church names new spiritual leader

Bangalore – A new spiritual leader of India’s main orthodox church, the Malankara Church, has been named after the resignation of the previous church head.

Thomas Mar Themothios, 85, was consecrated as Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan, said the church's spokesman, Jose Parakadavil. On taking up the position, he chose the name of Baselios Marthoma Didimus I, Parakadavil said.

The earlier church head, Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews II, 92, resigned recently, citing old age and poor health, Parakadavil said.

The Malankara community trace their origins to families evangelized by the apostle St. Thomas nearly 2,000 years ago. The Malankara Church has 2.5 million members, most of them in the southern state of Kerala, on whose shores St. Thomas arrived around 50 A.D., according to popular Christian tradition.

The Malankara church is a successor of India's oldest church, the St. Thomas Christians. While many factions broke away to embrace Catholicism or Protestantism during Portuguese and British colonial rules, Malankara remained independent.

The church also has dioceses in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.