Cardinal Baselios Cleemis

CBCI President, Pontifical Council Member, Cardinal

Baselios Cleemis Cardinal Thottunkal is the current Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. He was elected to the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI at the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican on 24 November 2012. At the moment of his selection, he was the youngest member of the College of Cardinals. He is the first cardinal of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. On 31 January 2013, he was named a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. On 12 December 2013, he was elected as the President of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council.