Faithful, friends mourn Archbishop Cornelius Elanjikal

(August 08, 2011) Church and political leaders have mourned the death of retired Archbishop Cornelius Elanjikal of Verapoly, a scholar of Hinduism, who died Sunday at a private hospital in Kerala state. He was 92. After serving as the head of the Vijayapuram Diocese for 15 years, the Bishop took charge as the head of the Varapoly Arch Diocese in 1987 and retired in 1996. The Latin rite prelate, one of the oldest Catholic bishops in India, was undergoing dialysis following kidney failure. Archbishop Francis Kallarakal of Verapoly said the funeral would be conducted on Tuesday at St. Francis Assisi Cathedral. Mourners recalled that the late archbishop had a deep knowledge in the Upanishads – philosophical texts considered as the early source of Hinduism. Archbishop Elanjikal did his doctoral dissertation on the “transformation of dependence of God with special reference to Upanishads.” K.S. Radhakrishnan, former vice chancellor of a Sanskrit university in Kerala who claimed close association with the prelate for years, recalled him as a great theologian who respected other religions. K.V. Thomas, federal minister for consumer affairs and a Latin rite Catholic, noted that Archbishop Elanjikal was a lyricist, who had written more than 500 Christian devotional songs. He had authored over ten books and his famous book, Concept of God in Upanishads was widely accepted even by the Hindu scholars. Another federal minister, A.K. Antony, and Kerala state Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, an Orthodox Christian, recalled that the late archbishop always helped the poor and the needy.