KOCHI: As the public consistory to create new cardinals is to take place on Saturday, February 18, the Catholic community in India and the Syro-Malabarese in particular are beaming with joy and pride over the conferment of cardinalate to Mar George Alencherry, the supremo of the Syro-Malabar Church. He has been inducted into the College of Cardinals just eight months after his assumption of office as the head of the Syro-Malabar Church. The assignation is seen as a gesture of appreciation and recognition that the supreme pontiff Benedict XVI has for the Syro-Malabar community, which has nearly 40 lakh faithful across India and abroad. A Cardinal is considered as the ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church and has a key role to play in the governance of the Universal Church. It is the sacred College of Cardinals which collectively as a body elects the Pope.A well-known biblical theologian, philosopher and an erudite scholar in economics, Mar George Alencherry possesses a fine blend of the virtues of humility and austerity. He is well-versed in religious anthropology and considers poverty as the major challenge preventing reconciliation in the country. Mar Alencherry has always stood for upholding the Indian traditions and takes care to promote the secular and pluralistic values of the Indian polity. An ardent believer in religious solidarity, tolerance, fraternity and universal brotherhood, he sees the goodness in man and considers religion as an institution embedded with a mission to provide service to the oppressed and the marginalized and also as a platform for promoting the unity and integrity of the nation.He has friends and admirers cutting across all religions and communities. He mixes with others with ease. Perhaps he is one among the bishops in the state having close access to the erstwhile Travancore Maharaja’s family. He was affectionately called as ‘Periaswamiyar’ by the people of Thuckalay in recognition of their respect and affection to the prelate.Mar Alencherry is the first Major Archbishop to be elected by the Synod of Bishops after the Syro-Malabar Church was elevated to the status of Major Archiepiscopal Church. Prior to his election as the Major Archbishop, he was officiating as the Bishop of Thuckalay since the time of its establishment in November 1996.He has also held the offices as the Secretary of Commission for Catechism of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council, Director of Pastoral Orientation Centre, Deputy Secretary of Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council, Chairman of the Synodal Commission on Catechism and as the Synodal Secretary.He is the champion of social justice and pleads for elimination of inequalities and deprivation of opportunities in any form. He is down to earth by nature and always welcoming. He is the people’s bishop and sees the power of the Church as the power of the faithful and the rights of the Church as the rights of the laity. His homilies and pubic speeches are inspiring, touching and coming from the heart. While the faithful expresses their respect and gratitude to Pope Benedict XVI for the consideration and affection shown by his appointment, they look upon the cardinalatical ring and red hat as signs of solace and consolation in times of distress and sorrow and as the gift of God.(The writer is a lawyer in the High Court of Kerala and a research guide at National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi. The views in the article are the writer’s own.)
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