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The passing of his Beatitude Catholicos of India, Mor Baselius Thomas I, is a profound loss that we deeply feel.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8
ܠܟܘܡܪܟ ܐܢܝ̣ܚ ܒܝܢܬ ܟܐܢ̈ܐ ܒܪܐ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܒܗ̇ܝ ܡܠܟܘܬܐ ܕܠܐ ܡܫܬܪܝܐ ܥܡ ܩܕ̈ܝܫܝܟ.

With complete submission to God and confidence in the Risen Lord, we announce the passing away of His Beatitude Mor Baseliose Thomas I, Catholicos of India, on the afternoon of Thursday, October 31, 2024, in Kerala – India, at the age of 95 in Kerala.

His life journey began on July 22, 1929, when he was born in Puthencruz, Kerala. In 1957, he was ordained as a deacon, and a year later, he became a priest through the laying on of hands by Metropolitan Mor Julius Elias Qoro from Mardin. His service was recognized when he was consecrated in Damascus by Patriarch Ignatius Jacob III on February 24, 1974, under the name Mor Dionysius, and appointed as the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Angamali. His leadership continued to grow, and on July 26, 2002, he was consecrated by Patriarch Mor Ignatius Zakka I in Damascus as the Catholicos of the East for the Syrian Orthodox Church in India.

Baselios Thomas I (22 July 1929 – 31 October 2024) was an Indian Syriac Orthodox prelate Catholicos of India (Maphrian) and head of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church. On 26 July 2002, he was enthroned by Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, in a ceremony held in Damascus, Syria.

In 2019, he relinquished his administrative duties and resigned from the "Metropolitan Trustee" position. Due to his old age, Mor Baselios had offered to step down from both positions, but Patriarch of Antioch Ignatius Aphrem II had asked him to continue as Catholicos.

Intensifying the protest against the takeover of the many Jacobite churches, the Jacobite faction of the Malankara Church headed by Catholicos Baselios Thomas I, and metropolitan trustee Gregorios Joseph has launched a sit-in satyagraha in Kochi and further protests. Protests centered around St. Mary's Church, Piravom. They spread to St. Thomas Church (Marthoma Cheriyapally) in Kothamangalam, subject to handing over their churches and properties to the Orthodox faction affiliated with the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church as per the Supreme Court verdict of July 2017.

Baselios Thomas I, died at a medical facility in Kochi on 31 October 2024 at age 95. He had been receiving treatment for age-related health issues for an extended period before his death.

We are deeply moved by His Beatitude Mor Baselius Thomas I's life and service. His legacy will forever be honored, and his soul will rest in peace. We are profoundly grateful for the wisdom, guidance, and love he shared with the life of our church in India, and we will always carry his memory in our hearts.

"Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord." (Matthew 25: 21).