Baselios Cleemis

His Eminent Beatitude, Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis
Cardinal, Major Archbishop - Catholicos of Trivandrum
Church	Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Trivandrum
See	Trivandrum
Elected	8 February 2007
Installed	5 March 2007
Predecessor	Cyril Baselios
Other post(s)	Cardinal Priest of San Gregorio VII Member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches Member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
Orders
Ordination	11 June 1986 by Cyril Baselios
Consecration	15 August 2001 by Cyril Baselios
Created cardinal	24 November 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI
Rank	Cardinal priest
Personal details
Birth name	Isaac Thottumkal
Born	(1959-06-15) 15 June 1959 Mukkoor, Thiruvalla, Kerala, India
Parents	Mathew and Annamma Thottumkal
Previous post(s)	Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum (2001–2003) Titular Bishop of Chaialum (2001–2003) Bishop of Tiruvalla (2003–2006) Archbishop of Tiruvalla (2006–2007)
Alma mater	Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Motto	To unite in love
Coat of arms

Mor Baselios Cleemis In liturgical vestments, 2015

Baselios Cleemis is the current major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. He was named to the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI on 24 November 2012.

At the moment of his selection, he was the youngest member of the College of Cardinals. He is the first cardinal of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. On 31 January 2013, he was named a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He served as President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India from 2014 to 2018, and previously served as Chairman of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council.

Early life

Baselios Cleemis was born on 15 June 1959 as Isaac Thottumkal (alternatively spelled as Thottunkal) in Mukkoor, a small village close to Mallappally town in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala in South India. His parents are Mathew and Annamma Thottumkal. The Thottumkal (Powathikunnel Thottumkal) family is a part of the Pakalomattom family, which is an ancient Syrian Christian family in Kerala.

Education

He attended the Minor Seminary Formation in Tiruvalla from 1976 to 1979. He received a B.Phil. degree from St. Joseph's Pontifical Institute, Mangalapuzha, Aluva, where he attended from 1979 to 1982. He received a B.Th. degree from the Papal Seminary, Pune where he attended from 1983 to 1986. Thottunkal was ordained a priest on 11 June 1986. He studied for the Master of Theology in Dharmaram College, Bangalore where he attended from 1986 to 1989. Thottunkal took his Doctorate in Ecumenical Theology from Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome in 1997.

Episcopal career

On his return from Rome he became the Vicar General (Proto Syncellus) of the Eparchy of Bathery. Pope John Paul II nominated Aboon Isaac Mar Cleemis as Apostolic Visitor and the Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum on 18 June 2001 for the Syro-Malankarites residing in North America and Europe. He was consecrated on 15 August 2001 at Tirumoolapuram, Tiruvalla, assuming the name Isaac Mar Cleemis.

The Holy See appointed Mar Cleemis as sixth Bishop of the Eparchy of Tiruvalla on 11 September 2003. Mar Cleemis was installed as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla on 10 June 2006.

Mar Baselios Cleemis was unanimously elected as the Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church through the first Holy Episcopal Synod of election of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church convoked on 7–10 February 2007 at Catholicate Centre, Pattom, Trivandrum. Pope Benedict XVI approved the election on 9 February and it was announced on 10 February at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum. He assumed the name Baselios Cleemis; Cleemis was enthroned the Second Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 5 March 2007 at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum. Cardinal Telesphore Toppo and Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil participated in the installation ceremony.

Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis was elevated to the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI on 24 November 2012. As Cardinal-Priest he was assigned the titular church of San Gregorio VII. He is the first bishop of the Syro-Malankara Church and the fifth Keralite to be named a cardinal. He said it was a sign of the Pope's appreciation of Indian Catholics' "unity in diversity", and cited the witness, the defense of human life, and the example of authentic prayer given by Saint Mother Teresa of Kolkata.

On 31 January 2013, Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to serve as a Member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis participated as a cardinal-elector in the conclave that elected Pope Francis. Because he was the first bishop from the Syro-Malankara Church to be made cardinal, he also was the first cardinal from the Syro-Malankara Church ever to participate as a cardinal-elector in a papal conclave. During the conclave Cleemis was one of the four cardinal-electors from outside the Latin Church who wore different vestments, proper to their respective churches. The others were Coptic Catholic Patriarch-Emeritus Antonios Naguib, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, and Syro-Malabar Major Archbishop George Alencherry.

External links

• "Thottunkal Card. Baselios Cleemis". Holy See Press Office. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
• Valente, Gianni (27 October 2012). "Il cardinale glocal". La Stampa (in italiano). Retrieved 25 October 2017.
• The Hindu report on Cardinal
• Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
• Syro-Malankara Catholic Church – alternative site built by Malankarites
• Times of India, News

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Paulos Philoxinos Ayyamkulangara	— TITULAR — Titular Bishop of Chayal 18 June 2001 – 11 September 2003	Succeeded by Gheevarghese Aprem Kurisummottil
	Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum 18 June 2001 – 11 September 2003	Succeeded by Joseph Thomas Konnath
Preceded by Geevarghese Timotheos Chundevalel	Bishop of Tiruvalla 11 September 2003 – 15 May 2006	Diocese elevated to archdiocese
Diocese elevated to archdiocese	Archbishop of Tiruvalla 15 May 2006 – 10 February 2007	Succeeded by Thomas Koorilos Chakkalapadickal
Preceded by Cyril Baselios	Major Archbishop of Trivandrum 10 February 2007 –	Incumbent
	President of the Synod of the Syro-Malankarese Church 10 February 2007 –
No prior officeholder	Second Vice-President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of India 19 February 2008 – 1 March 2010	Succeeded by George Punnakottil
Preceded by Oswald Gracias	Vice-President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of India 1 March 2010 – 12 February 2014	Succeeded by Andrews Thazhath
Preceded by Eugênio de Araújo Sales	Cardinal-Priest of San Gregorio VII 24 November 2012 –	Incumbent
Preceded by Oswald Gracias	President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of India 12 February 2014 – 9 February 2018	Succeeded by Oswald Gracias