New Auxiliary Appointed, Bishop Joseph Mar Thomas

Pope John Paul II has appointed Father Joseph Konnath auxiliary bishop of Trivandrum Syro-Malankara archdiocese. Archbishop Cyril Mar Baselios of Trivandrum, head of the Syro-Malankara Church, announced the appointment Jan. 5 from the archdiocesan headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala state, the Churchs base. Bishop-designate Konnath was born in 1952, and ordained a priest in 1978. He will also work as the apostolic visitor of the Oriental Catholics in Europe and the United States.