Cardinal Mar George Alencherry
Date of Birth
19 April 1945
Date of Feast
24 April
Ordained Priest
18 December 1972
Episcopal ordination
02 February 1997, Thuckalay
Ordained as Major Archbishop
29 May 2011
Created Cardinal
18 February 2012
bishopadilabaddiocesein@gmail.com
Phone
+91 484 2424768, 2424780, 2426235
Address
Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Mount St Thomas, P.B. No. 3110, Kakkanad P.O., Kochi 682 030, Kerala, India
About Mar George Alencherry
Bishop George Alencherry was born on 19 April 1945 at Thuruthy in Kottayam District. After his school education he joined the seminary and was ordained priest on 18 December 1972. He had done his B.A. (Economics) from the Kerala University with second rank in 1965. After his ordination he successfully completed his M.Th. from the Pontifical Theological Institute, Alwaye where he stood in the first rank. He also has a D.S.E.B. and D.Th. conjointly from Sorbonne University and Institut Caholique de Paris, France in 1986. During his priestly ministry, he held many offices in the Archdiocese of Changanacherry and elsewhere. From 1976 to 78 he was the Director of Catechetics, from 1986 to 93 he was the Deputy Secretary of KCBC, from 1986 to 91 he was the Director of the Pastoral Orientation Centre at Palarivattam, Professor at Paurastya vidyapitham, Kottayam from 1986-97, Protosyncellus of the Archdiocese of Changanacherry from 1994 to 97. He was ordained bishop of Thuckalay on 2 February 1997 and was installed on the same day. He was ordained Major Archbishop on 19 March 2007
Appointed Bishop of the Eparchy of Thuckalay
Episcopal Ordination
Elected Major Archbishop of
Former Major Archbishops
Pontifical Delegate
Major Archbishops and Patriarchs
Major Archbishops, like patriarchs, are the heads of their Eastern-rite Churches. They enjoy patriarchal rights in nearly all respects, but without the patriarchal title. Major Archbishop is a title for an hierarch to whose archiepiscopal see is granted the same jurisdiction in his autonomous (sui juris) particular Church that an Eastern patriarch has in his. The title is used for archbishops of episcopal sees that were founded more recently than the patriarchal sees. There are differences between the two offices. The election of a new Major Archbishop requires confirmation by the Pope, whereas that of a new Patriarch needs only to be notified to the Pope who will then extend ecclesiastical communion to the new Patriarch. Major Archbishops rank immediately after the patriarchs in the order of precedence of the Catholic Church. If made members of the College of Cardinals, major archbishops join the order of Cardinal-Priests, whereas patriarchs of the east join the highest order, Cardinal-Bishops. Like patriarchs, major archbishops are elected by the synod of the sui iuris Church, but their election requires confirmation by the Pope, not mere notification and granting of communion required of patriarchs. In addition to their role governing their particular Church, under canon law all major archbishops are members of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Roman Curia. They are required to attend the annual general body meeting of this congregation, and to attend other sessions if they are visiting Rome or are otherwise able to.