Kochi: Syro-Malabar Church here on Wednesday elected Shamshabad Bishop Mar Raphael Thattil as its new Archbishop. He will be the fourth Major Archbishop of the Church.
The Synod of Bishops of the Church elected a new Archbishop after Pope Francis, the head of Catholic Churches, accepted the resignation of Cardinal George Alencherry from the post. "The election was formally announced simultaneously at the Vatican and Major Archiepiscopal Curia at Mount St. Thomas at Kakkanad," a statement issued by the Church on Wednesday said.

Bishop Raphael Thattil, 67, was born in Thrissur. He was ordained a priest in 1980 by Mar Joseph Kundukulam, in Doloures Basilica, Thrissur, the statement said.

Fr. Thattil was consecrated Bishop in 2010 and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Thrissur and Titular Bishop of Brunie. In 2014, he was appointed as Apostolic Visitator for the Syro-Malabar. Pope Francis named him the first Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Shamshabad in 2017.

The statemenr said the installation of the Major Archbishop will be he held at 2.30 pm on Thursday (January 11), at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia of the Syro-Malabar Church, Mount St. Thomas at Kakkanad.