Mar George Alencherry, new 'Prince of the Church'

Chennai: Mar George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of Syro Malabar Church and Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly in Kerala, who was made a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Basilica on Saturday is the fourth Keralite and 11th Indian to be elevated to the exalted position. This year, he was the only second bishop from Asia to reach this position and with the new title; he is also a “Prince of the Church”. The 67-year-old Alencherry will now be a member of the elite College of Cardinals that elects the Pope. Only Cardinals less than 80-years of age are eligible to elect the Pope and at present there are only about 120 “electoral Cardinals” in the College. [caption id=“attachment_219377” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Mar George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of Syro Malabar Church and Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly in Kerala. Reuters”] [/caption] In an interview to ucanews.com in Rome on his ascension, Alencherry reportedly said that extremist groups in India see the growth of the Catholic Church as a threat and have successfully lobbied the government against Christians’ rights. In the interview he also has reportedly mentioned that religious extremists are only a small minority, but they have been responsible for atrocious attacks. While India’s constitution guarantees religious freedom, sometimes the state protects extremists as “certain political parties” try to “exploit” religious tensions “to gain more votes” by giving “patronage to these groups,” Alencherry said. The Cardinal also wanted the government to reverse the reservation policy that denied Christian converts lower caste status. He said although there is no caste in Christianity, he said that “economic inequality subsists.” “My reading is that they are afraid that if people who embrace the Catholic faith and are from the so-called lower caste are given equal rights, there may be a flow of people into Christianity, and that would be a challenge for the majority community.” Four politicians from the influential Catholic church in Kerala had accompanied Alencherry to the Vatican: union food minister KV Thomas, state water resources minister PJ Joseph and two other members of Parliament. Born in Changanacherry in southern Kerala, Alencherry wanted to be a priest in his early teens, but his parents were initially reluctant since his brother had already enrolled in a seminary. He subsequently joined a seminary while finishing his pre-university and graduate studies, following which he completed his course at the seminary. Alencherry became a priest in 1972, ordained by Antony Padiyara, who was one of his predecessors of the Syro Malabar Church who went on to become a Cardinal. Alencherry’s predecessor at the Ernakulam-Angamaly diocese, Varkey Vithayathil, was also a Cardinal. In his family of nine siblings, two are priests and one is a nun. He also has a doctorate from the Institut Catholique de Paris. Syro Malabar Church officials said the Mar George Alencherry will be given a grand reception at the St.Mary’s Church in Kochi on 10 March. He will return to Kerala on 7 March.