Mar Manathodath will take charge at a ceremony to be held at St Mary’s Cathedral Basilica, Ernakulam at 3 pm on Saturday. Kochi: Pope Francis has announced the appointment of Mar Jacob Manathodath, bishop of the Palakkad diocese, as the apostolic administrator of the Ernakulam – Angamaly archdiocese. He will occupy the place vacated by cardinal Mar George Alencherry. The Vatican had decided to relieve Mar Alencherry from the responsibilities of the administrator following the recent controversies in the archdiocese. However, Mar Alencherry will continue to hold the position of major archbishop.
Mar Sebastian Adayanthrath and Mar Jose Puthenveettil will remain in the post of auxiliary bishop but the apostolic administrator will be in charge of the functioning of the archdiocese. The Vatican has also temporarily suspended the Archdiocese Presbyteral Council, finance committee, pastoral council and layman’s council. The administrator has the sole authority to change the members of the councils or even reconstitute them entirely.
Mar Manathodath will take charge at a ceremony to be held at St Mary’s Cathedral Basilica, Ernakulam at 3 pm on Saturday. Vatican’s representative in India archbishop Giambattista Diquattro will be present at the event. Mar Jacob Manathodath, meanwhile, will continue to manage the affairs of the Palakkad archdiocese also.
