Vatican ‘foreign minister’ hails new Syro-Malankara theological institute as ‘beacon of hope’

July 17, 2025

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, hailed a new Syro-Malankara theological institute as a “beacon of hope.”

The prelate took part in a July 15 ceremony for the laying of the institute’s foundation stone. The Malankara Institute of Theology is part of St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary in Trivandrum, India.

Archbishop Gallagher described the institute as “a place where ‘faith and intellect are cultivated in harmony,’ a ‘sanctuary for deep reflection, rigorous study, and transformative spiritual growth,’ where young minds will be formed ‘not only as scholars and pastors,’ but as ‘compassionate leaders, bridge-builders, and servants of humanity,’“ L’Osservatore Romano reported. The Secretariat of State also tweeted about the event.

Earlier in his trip to India, which has surpassed China as the world’s most populous nation, Archbishop Gallagher paid tribute to Venerable Geevarghese Ivanios (1882-1953), a former Malankara Orthodox Syrian bishop whose reception into the Catholic Church in 1930 led to the formation of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See.

 

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Further information:

• Un faro di sapienza per chi cerca la verità (L'Osservatore Romano)
• Vatican ‘foreign minister,’ in India, lauds pioneer Syro-Malankara prelate (CWN, 7/16/25)
• Vatican ‘foreign minister’ embarks upon visit to India (CWN, 7/15/25)