City Council Meeting May 18, 2016
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, His Holiness Moran Mar Baselius Mar Thoma Paulose II, Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan, the supreme head of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church of the East (The Indian Orthodox Church) and the 914t successor of the throne of St. Thomas, the Apostle of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is coming to Chicago on June 29, 2016; and
WHEREAS, The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church of the East is as old as Christianity and has existed in India for the past twenty centuries ever since St. Thomas, the Apostle, founded the Church in A.D. 52; and
WHEREAS, The designation "Catholicose of the East", to the successors of St. Thomas the Apostle, was given by the Jerusalem Synod of A.D. 231; and
WHEREAS, His Holiness is the true successor of St. Thomas and administers the affairs of the church sitting on the throne of the Apostle St. Thomas as an autonomous ruler over an autocephalous church; and
WHEREAS, The present headquarters is at Devalokam Aramana, Kottayam Kerala, India; and
WHEREAS, The Church has been recognized by all world Christian denominations, Roman Catholics, Protestant, and the Eastern and the Oriental Orthodox Churches along with the World Council of Churches as an independent, indigenous, autocephalous Church; and
WHEREAS, The Church now has faithful followers, clergy, bishops, and parishes in and all over India, Malaysia, Middle East, Europe, Australia, Africa, America and all over the world; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago-area parishes are privileged by the arrival of His Holiness Moran Mar Baselius Mar Thoma Paulose II and will be holding a reception in his honor on July 2nd at St. Thomas Orthodox Church located at 6099 N. Northcott Ave. in Chicago; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, gathered in a meeting this 18th day of May, 2016, do hereby offer our heartiest best wishes to his Holiness and hereby proclaim July 2, 2016...
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