Bishop Mar Raphael Thattil is the new Major Archbishop of Syro Malabar Church

Thiruvanthapuram: Shamshabad Bishop Mar Raphael Thattil was elected as the new Archbishop of Syro Malabar Church on Wednesday.

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

Earlier, the Synod of Bishops of the Syro Malabar Church elected the new Archbishop after Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal George Alencherry. A statement issued by the church on Wednesday said the election was simultaneously announced at the Vatican and Major Archiepiscopal Curia at  Mount St Thomas at Kakkanad.

 The 67-year-old  Bishop Raphael Thattil was ordained a priest in 1980 by Mar Joseph Kundukulam in Dolours  Basilica, Thrissur.

After Fr Thattil's consecration as Bishop in 2010, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Thissur and Titular Bishop of Brunei. He was appointed as Apostolic Visitator for Syro Malabar Church in 2014.

In 2017, Pope Francis named him the first Bishop of Syro Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Shamshabad.