The funeral rites of Athanasius Yohan I (K.P. Yohannan), metropolitan bishop of Believers Eastern Church, who died in a car accident in the U.S., are scheduled to be performed at the church headquarters in Thiruvalla on May 21.
Addressing an interim episcopal council of the church, administrator Samuel Mor Theophilus Episcopa said the mortal remains of the metropolitan were expected to be brought to India from the previous day and would be kept for public viewing at the church headquarters. The funeral rites will be held at St. Thomas Believers Eastern Church Cathedral the next day.
According to the church, Samuel Mor Theophilus was slated to officiate the ceremony in the presence of all the bishops of the Believers Eastern Church, after which the metropolitan would be laid to rest in the courtyard of the cathedral.
Before being brought home, the mortal remains will also be kept for public exhibition in Texas on May 15. Church spokesperson Fr. Sijo Pandappillil said elaborate arrangements were being made to accommodate the crowd that is expected to attend the funeral rites. The timings of the funeral rites are also being worked out. “All 2,500 priests of the church and 17 bishops, besides the 3,000-odd deacons from 20 countries, are slated to attend the event,” he said.
Athanasius Yohan passed away due to a sudden cardiac arrest while he was under intensive care at a hospital in Dallas, Texas, following a car accident that happened during his morning walk. Although he was rushed to a hospital and subjected to emergency surgery, he soon succumbed to the injuries.
Following his death, the synod has constituted a nine-member interim episcopal council led by a senior bishop to manage the administration of the church until the election of the next metropolitan.
