Kerala: Funeral Of Believers Church Head KP Yohannan Held With Full State Honours

(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Pathanamthitta: The funeral of Athanasius Yohan Metropolitan, head of the Believers Eastern Church was held on Tuesday (May 21). He was laid to rest at St Thomas Believers Eastern Church Cathedral with state honours at about 1.30 pm.
In the past two days, thousands of people gathered in Thiruvalla to bid farewell to the Metropolitan. The body of Athanasius Yohan Metropolitan, who tragically passed away in an accident in America, was brought back to Kerala on May 19th.

Minister Saji Cherian, Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai, Colonel Binny for Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekaran, MPs such as KC Venugopal, Antony Antony, AM Arif, Deputy Speaker Chittayam Gopakumar, MLAs, Vice President BK Unnikrishnan representing Asianet News and others were also present to pay their last respects.

K P Yohannan, born in 1950 in the village of Niranam near Thiruvalla, devoted his life to serving God after completing his high school education.

"In obedience to the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, he then spent the next eight years of his life proclaiming the gospel and doing charitable works in South Asia," a church document said.

After receiving theological training in the US during the 1970s, Yohannan established a missionary organization, which later evolved into one of the largest missionary and church-planting movements across numerous Asian countries.

On February 6, 2003, he was consecrated and promoted to the position of Metropolitan within the Believers Eastern Church.

Following the Orthodox Christian tradition, he adopted the name Athanasius Yohan, paying tribute to his revered patron saints, St. Athanasius, renowned for defending orthodoxy, and St. John (Yohan), the Apostle and Evangelist.

Under his guidance, the church has experienced significant growth over the past two decades, witnessing the establishment of over 12,000 parishes across Asia and Africa. He also served as the founding patron of the St. Ignatius Theological Seminary, the Believers Church Residential School, and the Believers Church Medical College & Hospital in Thiruvalla.

The responsibility of determining the future of the religious institution has been entrusted to the synod, consisting of approximately 30 bishops.

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