OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 10, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father elevated the "sui iuris" Metropolitan Church of the Syro-Malankars to the rank of Major Archiepiscopal Church, and he promoted Metropolitan Archbishop Cyril Mar Baselios Malancharuvil O.I.C. of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars, India, to the dignity of major archbishop of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars. The new metropolitan archbishop was born in Ullannor, India, in 1935, and ordained a priest in 1960. He was ordained a bishop in 1978 and appointed as metropolitan archbishop of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars in 1995. The Syro-Malankara Church has around 450,000 faithful divided in five eparchies and served by 632 priests, of whom 511 are eparchial and 121 religious. A total of 643 seminarians study in five seminaries, and there are over 2,030 female religious in 17 communities The Church also has 22 ecclesiastical institutions, 449 educational centers (schools, universities, etc.), and 466 charitable institutes.
ECE:NA/.../MALANCHARUVIL                        VIS 20050210 (150)