KOTTAYAM: The supreme head of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church of India, Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, 74, passed away at a private hospital in Pathanamthitta district due to post-Covid complications in the early hours of Monday.
The metropolitan was under treatment at St Gregorios Medical Mission Hospital in Parumala, which is owned and controlled by the Orthodox Church.
He was on ventilator for the past several days after developing breathing difficulties.
The Catholicos was under treatment for lung cancer since December, 2019.
Though he had recovered from Covid in February this year, he was troubled by post covid health issues. His health deteriorated recently due to infection in lungs.
He was enthroned as the Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan on November 1, 2010. He was the eighth Catholicos of the East in Malankara.
Born on August, 30, 1946 in a village called Mangad near Kunnamkulam, Trissur district, as the son of the late Kollannur Iype and the late Pulikkottil Kunjeetty, KI Paul, had his early education in local schools. After graduating from St Thomas College, Trissur, Paul joined the Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam from where he obtained degrees of the Serampore University. He did his MA in Sociology from CMS College, Kottayam.
At the young age of 36, the church parliament elected Fr KI Paul as Bishop.
On May 15, 1985, he was consecrated as Bishop with the new name Paulose Mar Milithios. Subsequently, he was elevated as the first Metropolitan of the newly formed Kunnamkulam diocese on August 1, 1985.
The Malankara Syrian Christian Association held at Parumala on October 12, 2006 unanimously elected him as the Catholicos Designate and the successor to the Malankara Metropolitan.
On November 1, 2010, following the abdication of his predecessor, Baselios Marthoma Didymus I, Milithios Metropolitan was enthroned as the Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan with the new name Baselios Marthoma Paulose II. Incidentally, Kunnamkulam which is a stronghold of the Orthodox Community in Kerala has given birth to three Malankara Metropolitans including Paulose II. He has authored a few devotional and contemplative books in Malayalam.
Meanwhile, the PRO of the church informed that the metropolitan after falling sick had issued orders on July 3 giving charges to senior metropolitan Kuriakose Mar Clemis to oversee and preside over the Malankara Syrian Christian Association meeting slated to be held in Parumala on October 14.
