Baselios Paulose II


Baselios Paulose II was the first Maphrian of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church.

Early life

Paulose was born on 12 June 1914 to the Vicar of Cherai St Mary's church, Kasheesho Puthusseril Joseph and Elizabeth. He was named P. J. Paulose and completed his secondary education at Cherai Ramavarma High School. After completing college education at Kottayam CMS College and Alwaye Union Christian College, Paulose joined the Manjinikkara Dayaro. Paulose continued his Syriac education under Rabban Abdul Ahad.

Holy Orders

Priesthood

In 1934, Mor Yulius Elias, the delegate of the Patriarch to Malankara, ordained Paulose as deacon. In 1938, Yulius ordained him priest at Manjinikkara Dayaro. Later Paulose became secretary to Yulius and malphono at Manjinikkara Dayaro.

Metropolitan

On 25 April 1952, the Kandanad diocesan delegates meeting selected 'Kasheesho' Paulose to succeed Mor Athanasius Paulose who had relinquished his additional duties as the metropolitan of Kandanad due to illness. Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem I Barsoum ordained Fr. Paulose P. J. with the name Mor Philoxenus on 19 October 1952 at Homs, Syria.

Catholicos

On 7 September 1975, Patriarch Yakub III consecrated Mor Philoxenus as Catholicos of the East. On 14 September 1980, he made history consecrating Mor Ignatios Zakka I Iwas, Archbishop of Baghdad, as the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch; this was the first time in the long history of the Patriarchate of Antioch that a Catholicos from Malankara officiated at the consecration of a Patriarch. He also ordained six bishops for the Malankara church.

Death and entombment

The remains of Catholicos Basileus Paulose II are interred in a tomb in Malekurishu Dayro near Puthenkurishu in Ernakulam District, Kerala.