Pope meets new head of Syro-Malankara Church

(May 28, 2007) Pope Benedict XVI on Monday received the new head of the India-based Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and encouraged him to continue on the path of fidelity to the Pope and the traditions of the Syro_Malankara Church.
Major Archbishop Baselios Mar Cleemis of Trivandrum, in Kerala state, whom the Pope met, was elected head of the eastern-rite Syro Malankara Church on Feb. 8 by the Church’s synod, a decision the Pope acknowledged two days later. He succeeded late Major Archbishop Cyril Mar Baselios who passed away on Jan. 18.
In his meeting with Major Archbishop Cleemis, Pope Benedict recalled how late Mar Ivannios together with his Syro-Malankara faithful formally entered the Roman Catholic Church in 1930. In Feb. 2005, Pope John Paul granted the Church the highest level of self-government by raising it to the rank of a Major Archbishopric. Pope Benedict said today the Catholic Church senses the closeness of the unforgettable Pastors of the Syro-Malankara Church and wished the community will continue being faithful to the Apostolic See as well as to the Eastern features of its tradition. The Pope spoke of the Church’s commitment to evangelization which he said needs to be constantly renewed, "as we strive to build peace, in justice and solidarity, for the whole human family." Pope Benedict particularly wished the Syro-Malankara faithful on the occasion of the 75^th anniversary of the establishment of their hierarchy.
India’s Catholic Church, that recognizes the Pope of Rome as its head, is composed of the Latin Rite and the two eastern rites – the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Churches. Of the country’s 159 ecclesiastical units, 128 belong to the Latin Rite, 25 to the Syro-Malabar and 6 to the Syro-Malankara churches.