BP JOHN KUCHUTHUNDIL
Curia Bishop of Syro-Malankara Church
& Apostolic Visitator to Europe and Oceania

What motto would you like to take for your episcopacy?
God’s mercy is sovereign.

Why made you choose it?
I believe I am here because of God’s mercy. The world and its creatures owe their existence to God’s mercy. Mercy was my topic even much before Pope Francis declared the Year of Mercy. Mercy was always my desire, ambition and aspiration. It was one of the major themes that touched me in life, because I know I am nothing. It is because of Him I am here. He is providing for me day by day; He is empowering me and inspiring me, without which I wouldn’t be here. The world wouldn’t be existing without Him.

Is your motto a text from the scripture?
It is an abridged version of several passages of the Bible. It is very well connected with the Year of Mercy, about which I have written a book.

You are appointed both as Curia bishop and as a visitator to the Malankara Catholics of Oceania and Europe. What is the situation of Malankara Catholics in those places?
We have ten communities in UK, five in Australia, five in New Zealand, two in Germany and one in Austria. The people there are not yet organized. We also don’t have our own churches in those places. But the people want to be united. They want to recite our prayers, participate in our liturgy. Those things are there in their blood. So I want to organize them first by uniting them in worship. I want especially to impart our liturgy to them.

What will be the approximate population of Malankara community in those places taken together?
I can’t give an exact figure, because I have not made a study of it. I am just gathering information from different sources.

What will be the average size of the communities in different countries?
It may be anywhere between twenty and seventy families. Generally they are all smaller than Syro-Malabar communities.

You are going to be the bishop of a diaspora that lives in a different culture. They carry an Orthodox tradition, but they are living in a very much Europeanized context. How do you see the future of the Oriental Orthodox tradition among them?
The old generation is very true to our tradition, liturgy and everything else. They want to keep them, but the new generation is not for that. That is a problem for us, because we have not yet started our communities, we didn’t teach them, their language is different and they are living in another culture. That is why I now want to give much concentration to this new generation. For that we have to start a new mission, we have to organize them, we have to teach catechism and only then we can do something. I know it will not be an easy task, because they are living in an entirely different world. I believe I can do something with hard work.

We see two traditions standing face to face, the Orthodox and the Latin, the Eastern Church and the Western church. How is this Eastern tradition of Orthodoxy going to be nourished and kept alive there in the future?
I am very optimistic on that. If we teach our people about liturgy and its contents, then I am quite sure majority of them will be attracted to it. Also, if our priests keep in constant touch with them I believe it will bring positive results.

In India we continuously hear the slogan Ghar Vapsi, which is a call to return to own culture and faith. Even in liturgical traditions, there may be people who want to return to and exist in the past. Are you seeking to return to the past or to go forward with tradition to the future?
I don’t think we can compare Ghar Vapsi to what we have in mind, because tradition is a living thing. Our liturgy is not a dead one. It is still alive and majority of the people find joy in it. Some people of the new generation lack it because we lost our presence there. We couldn’t send our priests to our people and so they are not organized. Our people were attending the Latin churches and living in the western culture. But since we keep a very good relationship with our people and the Malankara Catholic Church is people-family-liturgy oriented, I believe we can connect with them and bring them back. The Ghar Vapsi slogan on the other hand is the consequence of religious fundamentalism.

As you know, India is going through troubled times. The minorities live in fear and anxiety because of religious fundamentalism. As one called to do pastoral work both in India and abroad, how are you going to live your Christian faith meaningfully?
I am not afraid of the present situation in India, because, as you know, I was working in the CBCI for the last two years as one of the coordinators of its core team. I was aware of this fundamentalism, its after effects and what exactly is happening in India. I believe that there will come a time when our Constitution will be upheld. There are both intellectuals and ordinary people who are not comfortable with religious fundamentalism. We have like-minded people to work for the unity of this country and uphold the Constitution as our binding factor. At the same time, if people ask me when I go abroad what exactly is happening in India, I will explain it with an open mind. I will give a true picture of it whenever I get a chance.

Followers of the Hindu Maha Sabha are creating problems just as they did before independence. They may be a small minority, but the majority seems to be siding with them. It means they have succeeded in creating a lot of anger and animosity among the people. Don’t you think it poses a threat to Indian plurality?
Of course there is now a threat to Indian plurality, and therefore minorities should unite. They must have some dialogue among themselves first. If they remain divided, they will not succeed. They should sit together and think seriously on these issues. They should take steps to uphold our sacred constitution so that we can proudly say we are Indians.

Who are your parents?
My mother passed away in 2013. My father is now 98 years old.

What about your brothers and sisters?
I have three brothers and two sisters. Elder to me is my brother Raju, followed by elder sister Sr Karuna belonging to the Order of Imitation of Christ, younger brother Wilson, who lives in Saudi Arabia, the youngest sister Valsamma, who is married and the youngest brother Fr. Johnson Kuchuthundil, who is a diocesan priest belonging to the major archdiocese of Trivandrum.

Tell me something about your ministry as well as your studies?
I started my studies at St Aloysius minor seminary in Trivandrum. Later I went to St Joseph’s Pontifical seminary in Aluva. Just after my priestly ordination in 1985, I was appointed as secretary to the late Archbishop Benedict Mar Gregorious. I worked with him six and half years as personal secretary. During that period I attended the BA Malayalam course in the University College and I passed the course with first rank. I was sent to Rome in 1991 where I did my licentiate and doctorate in Oriental Canon Law at Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. Later, for one year I was asked to go to New York archdiocesan tribunal for hands-on experience in law and jurisprudence. I worked there as a judge for one year. Then I came back to India and was appointed as vice rector of St Aloysius minor seminary and later as rector, in which post I continued for nine years. Simultaneously I was appointed as the Chancellor of the Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum. Later I was appointed as the parish priest of the first church of the Syro-Malankara Church at Palayam. That was when the Platinum Jubilee celebration of the church was celebrated. In consultation with the Cardinal and everyone concerned, we worked to make the church a basilica. When our efforts finally bore fruit, I was made the first rector of basilica. I worked as the core team member of the CBCI in Delhi with additional responsibility as the Vicar General and Chancellor of the diocese of Gurgaon of the Syro Malankara Church. While working in the CBCI, I spent weekends at the Bishop’s house in Gurgaon. From there I was called back to Trivandrum to take charge as the Vicar General and Chancellor of the major archdiocese of Trivandrum. I have been working in those capacities till I got this new calling.

Why do you pray and what is prayer for you?
I always pray for God’s mercy. That’s my core theme of thinking. I believe that God’s mercy sustains me. My humble prayer is “Have mercy on me Lord”. I got this prayer from my father, who likes reciting it. I am praying for all the people asking God, “Please shower your mercy on all the poor, the downtrodden, the needy, the backward and all the priests, bishops and so on.”

What is about Jesus Christ that is most endearing to you?
It is His simplicity. He is very open to everyone, all can go to Him and there is nothing that will stand as a hindrance. He welcomed every one. So I want to become something like that without much formalities of Episcopal power. I want to imitate Jesus Christ and welcome everyone.

Will that be easy?
It’s not so easy, but I learned it from Abp Benedict Mar Gregorios, of whom I was a close follower. So I have some experience practising it. I hope I will succeed in it.