News
In a congratulatory message to Metropolitan Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom, who celebrates his 90th birthday on 27 April, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia evokes the outstanding ecumenical profile, and lifts up some of the exceptional qualities of the spiritual leader of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar.
A leader of the National Council of Churches in India, participant in Christian Conference of Asia assemblies and programmes, and an important contributor to the WCC's Evanston (1950) and Uppsala (1968), the metropolitan has long been known, says Kobia, for his "gift for dialogue with people from all walks of life," his "ability to discover the value and uniqueness of each person," his "passion and concern in building bridges between churches and promoting unity," as well as for his "God-given oratory skills".
A member of the WCC, the Mar Thoma Church traces its origins to St Thomas the apostle who, according to tradition, came to India in AD 52. The majority of the membership of the church is in the southern Indian state of Kerala.