Changanassery (Kerala): Archbishop Mar Joseph Pouvathil, the senior bishop of the Syro-Malabar Church and the former archbishop of Changanassery (Kerala), sadly passed away. He was 92 years old. He died in Chettipuzha, Changanassery (Kerala), at 1.17 p.m. Indian time. He was known for his ecclesiastical knowledge and the sharpness of his opinions.
In Ireland, Galway, Savita Halappanavar, a young Indian woman who died during pregnancy due to septicemia, was thousands of miles away, and her father asked for information about her death before the public knew the cause of her death. Savita died during a period when abortion was illegal in Ireland. Savita’s husband blamed that his wife died because the Catholic Church did not allow abortion. Pro-choice people all over the world took to the streets, demanding that the church answer for Savita’s death.
It was when everyone was angry that Mar Pouvathil asked for information and symbolised for the church for the first time. Within days, an article in the local newspaper informed the public about Savita’s septicemia condition in Mar Pouvathil.
He was an archbishop emeritus and was living a retired life at Changanassery Archbishop’s House. It was during the reign of Pope Benedict, who was described as the ‘Crown of the Church’, that attempts were made to recover the identity of the Syro-Malabar Church and to restore its own liturgy, and sharp positions on education issues were heard in Kerala.
The Church was a vanguard of the time when it faced religious and political challenges. He took a strict stance on liturgical reform and religious education. Stand up for farmers. Development committees were formed in Peerumedu, Kuttanad, and Malanad (places in Kerala). Yuvadipti’, a youth organisation, evolved into KCYM. He had a long friendship with Pope Benedict XVI and had worked with five popes. He was the first bishop of the Syro-Malabar Church to be consecrated by the Pope.
Born on August 14, 1930, in Kurumbanadam (Kerala) Pauvathil family, Mar Joseph Pauvathil received the priesthood on October 3, 1962. He was named Auxiliary Bishop of Changanassery Archdiocese on January 29, 1972. The coronation took place at the Vatican on February 13, 1972. He was appointed the first bishop of the Kanjirapalli (Kerala) Diocese in 1977. From 1985 to 2007, he was the archbishop of Changanassery Archdiocese. He was the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) and the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), as well as the Chairman of the Inter-Church Council for Education.
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