Cyril Baselios
Moran Mor Cyril Baselios Catholicos or when referring exclusively to his being a Major Archbishop, Cyril Baselios Malancharuvil OIC (born "James Malancharuvil", 1935 – 2007) was the first Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church based in Trivandrum, Kerala, elevated by Pope John Paul II. Early life. He was born in Pandalam, Kerala on 16 August 1935. His birth name was James Malancharuvil. In 1951 he entered in the Order of the Imitation of Christ (O.I.C.) and took the religious name of Cyril. He studied in Rome and was ordained priest on 4 October 1960. Education. He received  a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1965, after taking a master's degree in psychology from St. John's University in New York City. He taught at St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary in Kottayam and St. Joseph's Pontifical Institute, Mangalapuzha, Aluva. Career. He was named as Eparch (Bishop) of the suffragan Diocese of Bathery on 28 October 1978, and consecrated on 28 December 1978 by Benedict Mar Gregorios with the name Cyril Mar Baselios. He was made Metropolitan Archbishop and head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 6 November 1995. He received  the archiepiscopal pallium from Pope John Paul II on 9 January 1996 in Vatican City. Major Archbishop. The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church raised to the status of a Major Archiepiscopal Church "sui iuris" on 10 February 2005 according to the norms of CCEO. He was the first Syro-Malakara to bear the title of Major Archbishop and his official title according to the West Syriac Tradition was Moran Mor Cyril Baselios Catholicos, which was earlier granted to the Syro-Malabar metropolitanate of Ernakulam–Angamaly and the Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitanate of Kyiv–Halyč and shortly after to the Romanian Catholic Metropolitanate  of Făgăraş şi Alba Iulia. His motto is 'trust in love'. He had good ecumenical relations with the Indian Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Mar Thoma Church and other St. Thomas churches. Moran Mor Cyril Baselios died of a heart attack on 18 January 2007, in Trivandrum.