The Syro-Malabar Church has elected Father Thomas Animoottil as the new auxiliary bishop of the Archeparchy of Kottayam. The election was made by the Synod of the Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Church with the prior assent of Pope Leo XIV. His appointment was officially announced on August 27, 2026.
Bishop-elect Thomas Animoottil is 64 years old and was born on January 13, 1962, in Payyavoor, Kerala. He completed his early education in Kerala and later pursued higher studies in Mysore. He entered St. Stanislaus Minor Seminary in Kottayam and continued his philosophical and theological studies at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Mangalore.
He was ordained a priest on April 13, 1989. Later, he obtained a licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome in 1993.
During his priestly ministry, Father Animoottil served in several important pastoral and administrative positions. He worked as parish priest of Pulinjal and also served as secretary to the eparchial bishop, eparchial chancellor, pastoral council secretary and vicar forane. Between 2003 and 2008, he carried out pastoral ministry in the United States.
Since 2025, he has been serving as pro-protosyncellus of the Archeparchy of Kottayam.
His election is expected to strengthen the pastoral and administrative ministry of the Archeparchy. The faithful of Kottayam and the wider Syro-Malabar community are now looking forward to his episcopal ministry and leadership.
