Koorilos Pithav’s message on Catholicos’ installation

Yesterday was yet another moment of great joy that our second major archbishop Catholicos was installed in the presence of Cardinals, archbishops and bishops and Hundreds of clergy, religious and thousands of lay faithful. The function started at 8 am with a small reception but colorful and meaningul. We did not want to cause any inconvenience to the general public and therefore it was done inside our cathedral compound. The main celebrant was our administrator Most Rev. Geevarghese Mar Divannasios. All our bishops and the bishop elect Msgr. Chacko Aerath also concelebrated in the liturgy. It was such a solemn celebration. Our dear Archbishop of Changancherry Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Powathil preached the homily. It was such a wonderful homily. Then after the elevation of the sacred mysteries and the intercessory prayers to our blessed Mother and Saints we proceeded with the installation which in canonical terms is called enthronement. The Holy See has sent Mosignor Maurizio Malvestiti, teh secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and our own Rev. Dr. Johnson Kailmala who is undersecretary in the congregation participated in the ceremony. The service had three solemn moments: The invitation by the Synod Fathers to accept the call of being the Catholicos and all the memebers knelt before the Catholicos elect and then the Catholicos Elect knelt down before the Synod and said he is willing to accept the call by the Grace of the Lord. The second moment is prayer over the catholicos. All the ordained bishops participated in the prayer. They kept their right hand over the shoulders of the catholicos elect. Then was the oxios and reading the gospel. The third moment was the collegiality expressed by handing over the Staff (Amshavadi) to the new catholicos. All the bishops held on to the staff according to their seniority and in the end the main celebrant handed over the staff with a small prayer. Then the new Catholiocs blessed the community with the staff. Well it was such a moving event. After the holy mass there was a public meeting in which the CM of Kerala inaugurated. The Opposition leader and many ministers and MPS and MLAS and political leaders participated. The CBCI and CCBI presidents, the Major Archbishop of the Syro Malabar Church, His Emience Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil gave their benedictory address. Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil Pithave was so sweet in appreciating our church and he said two things: It is a great moment for you since you are a people who take legitimate pride in being Malnkara Catholics. Then he said this event shows your bishops are so united and one in their action and leadership. That the bishops did not have anyother consideration other than able leadership and good fortune of the church that they elected the junior most as catholicos. I could write much more. Let me tell you my people. We are a great church. Our Bava thirumeni will do very well in Trivandrum. He has such rare qualities of a good leader and we are going to profit by this in the years to come. let us pray for our bava thirumeni. It is through him that the world is going to see the face of the Malankara Church and to a good extend the true meaning of Christianity. Our blessed Mother protect our bava tirumeni through her powerful intercession.

with love and prayers,

Pithave