Joseph Mor Gregorios brings with him the continuation of an illustrious tradition

Joseph Mor Gregorios, new Catholicos of the Jacobite Syrian Church, carries on a revered family tradition with compassion and dedication.

Joseph Mor Gregorios, Malankara Metropolitan and president of the Episcopal Synod, who has been declared the new Catholicos of the Jacobite Syrian Church on Sunday by the visiting Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syrian Orthodox Church Ignatius Aphrem II, brings with him the light of an illustrious family tradition.

Mor Gregorios, born in November 1960, hails from the fourth generation of the Chathuruthiyil Geevarghese Mor Gregorios (Parumala Kochu Thirumeni) family, a lineage deeply revered in the church. A member of the Mulanthuruthy Marthoman Jacobite Syrian Cathedral, he began his education at Perumpally Primary School and Mulanthuruthy school before earning a degree in Economics from Maharaja’s College. He pursued priestly training at Perumpally St. James Theological Seminary and was ordained a deacon in March 1974. He was made a Kasseessa in March 1984.

Mor Gregorios described his appointment as the new Catholicos of the Jacobite Syrian Church as a divine decision. He expressed faith in continuing the Church’s service with the support and prayers of the faithful, fellow bishops, priests, and the blessings of the Patriarch.

Church sources describe Mor Gregorios as a compassionate leader, deeply committed to the poor. His dedication to charity is evident in his 1995 initiative with the Kerala Housing Board, where he adopted a village at Vettickal near Mulanthuruthy and constructed houses for financially disadvantaged families there.

The visiting Patriarch declared Mor Joseph Gregorios the new Catholicos during a concelebrated Mass at ‘Malakkurisu Dayara’. He assumed the Church’s administrative responsibilities after being named Malankara Metropolitan, following requests from Catholicos Baselios Thomas I, who cited age-related health issues and sought to be relieved of his duties.

Among the challenges facing the new Catholicos is addressing the transfer of Churches to the rival Orthodox faction, as mandated by the 2017 Supreme Court verdict. The two factions of the Malankara Church have been in dispute for nearly a century. Mor Gregorios, a proponent of reconciliation, has consistently supported calls for a fair settlement and welcomed efforts to establish lasting peace in the Church.