Mar Cleemis to be consecrated as Cardinal on Saturday

According to church sources, the delegation includes Thiruvananthapuram Mayor K Chandrika and spiritual personalities of various faiths and bishops from different church denominations.

Pope Benedict had last month made the declaration of raising 53-year-old Cleemis as Cardinal, the first prelate to be raised to the high-power body of Catholic hierarchy from the Syro Malankara Church.

Earlier this year, the Pope had made Mar George Alanchery of the Syro Malabar Catholic Church as Cardinal, as part of the conclave that elects the Pope.

An influential Catholic group from Kerala, Malankara church emerged from the "reunion movement" in the last century, which saw sections of the Orthodox community joining the Catholic old.

 

A separate rite was sanctioned for the community permitting it to retain its oriental traditions and identity. Cleemis is the fourth head of the Malankara church.

Born at Mallapally in Pathanamthitta district in 1959, Cleemis was ordained as priest in 1986 after his theological studies in Kerala and Pune. He also took a doctorate later from the Pontifical Seminary in Vatican.

After serving the church in different capacities, including that of bishop, Cleemis succeeded Mar Baselios as head of the Malankara church in 2007 as Major Archbishop and Catholicos.