A meeting of the Malankara Syrian Christian Association to elect the ninth Catholicos of the East and the 22nd Malankara Metropolitan, supreme head of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, will begin at Parumala on Thursday.
As many as 4,007 members, including clergy, laity, managing committee members, and metropolitans from 1,590 parishes across the 30 dioceses of the church, are slated to attend the event. Marking the opening of the event, senior metropolitan Kuriakose Mar Cleemis hoisted the Catholicate flag at the venue around 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The flag-hoisting ceremony was followed by a meeting of the managing committee to evaluate the preparations. Extensive arrangements have been made for the meeting, which will be held across 50 specially prepared centres on a diocesan basis at the same time.
Registration of delegates who are members of the managing committee will take place at Parumala from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Thursday. Registration of other delegates will be held at respective venues at the same time.
A procession to the venue of the event will begin by 12.45 noon. Mar Cleemis will preside over the meeting. Mathews Mar Severios, who has been nominated by the episcopal synod and the managing committee, is slated to be unanimously elected as successor to Baselios Mar Thomas Poulose II, who passed away in July this year.
In view of the event, entry of devotees to the Parumala church will be regulated on October 14 and 15.
