Geevarghese Mar Philexenos II

He was consecrated by Skaria Mar Philexenos. During his period Mar Thoma IX was the Metropolitan of the Malankara Church, but because he was not accepted by the people and clergy, the Reverend Ittoop Kathanar from Kunnamkulam was selected to succeed him. However, there was no bishop to consecrate him, so members of the Malankara Church invited Mar Philexenos from Thozhyoor for the consecration. Even though his ancestors were driven out of the Malankara Church, without a grudge he accepted the invitation. The Reverend Ittoop Kathanar was consecrated on March 22, 1816, and was given the episcopal title Pulikottil Joseph Mar Dionysius. However, in November that same year, Joseph Mar Dionysius died. Because there were no other metropolitans in Malankara at that time, Mar Philoxenos was accepted as Malankara Metropolitan and the concerned governments issued Royal Proclamation. This proclamation was life-long. On October 19, 1817, he consecrated Punnathara Mar Dionysious and returned to Thozhyoor, but Punnathara Mar Dionysious died on May 17, 1825. Mar Philoxenos was again invited and he consecrated Cheppad Mar Dionysios for the Malankara Church. Mar Philoxenos died on February 7, 1829.

Howard recounts how his consecration was attended by large num bers of clergy and laity from Chatukulum Kunnamkulam and Pazh3nji- an indication no doubt of the acceptance of the Thozhiyur diocese as well as a tribute to Mar Philoxenos himself.2 Philoxenos I seems to have died soon after the consecration, leaving Philoxenos II as Metropolitan. Colonel Munro, the British Resident of Travancore and Cochin and a devout Christian, arrived in India in 1810 and took a keen interest in the affairs of the Syrian Christians . These were in a (characteristically) confused state with accusations being made against the Metropolitan, Mar Thoma VIII, denying the validity of his consecra­ tion . (le is interesting to note that the future reformer, Abraham Malpan, had doubts about the validity of his ordination by Mar Thoma VIII and had himself been re-ordained by a Jacobite Metropolitan from Syria, for which he suffered a period in prison .) One of the leaders of the protest against Mar Thoma VI I I was the Ram ban Pulikotil lttoop (Joseph) who, as noted in the previous chapter, had been a pupil of Abraham Mar Koorilose I of Thozhiyur in his days as a Mal pan and who had invited him to Kunnamkulam.

As Dionysius had not named a successor, the fate of the Malankara Church was threatened. However, Geevarghese Mar Philexenos (Kidangan) (1811–29) of the Malabar Independent Syrian Church stepped in to take over the duties of the Malankara Metropolitan and served as the Acting Malankara Metropolitan until ordaining a successor to Mar Dionysius II. Mar Philexenos ordained Mar Dionysius III in 1817.

In 1816, following the demise of Mar Dionysius II, who had not appointed a successor, Kurien was elected to succeed him as the Malankara Metropolitan by the general assembly of the Church (Malankara Palliyogam) and was ordained as bishop by Geevarghese Mar Philexenos II of the Malabar Independent Syrian Church.