Raphael Thattil, bishop of Shamshabad in Telangana, has been elected Major Archbishop by the synod of bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church in place of former Major Archbishop and Cardinal George Alencherry who stepped down in early December 2023.
The announcement of the election was made by bishop Mathew Moolakkattt at a press conference at the Church headquarters at Mount St. Thomas near Kochi.
The synod, with 53 bishops having voting rights, began on January 8 (Monday). The voting to elect the new head for the nearly 5-million strong Oriental church in communion with Rome was completed on January 9 (Tuesday), said sources said.
