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| Mar Varkey Vithayathil |
Indian Cardinal of Syro Malabar Catholic church and Major Archbishop of the Ernakulam-Angamally archdiocese Mar Varkey Vithayathil today died at a private hospital here, church sources said. The Cardinal (84) suffered a major cardiac arrest while participating in a mass at the chapel of the Archbishop''s house this afternoon. He was rushed to a private hospital where doctors tried to revive him but failed. He died at 2 PM, Catholic Church spokesperson Father Paul Thelekat told PTI. After initial prayers at the Lisie hospital chapel, the cardinal''s body will be shifted to the mortuary at Little Flower hospital at Angamally. All the Syro Malabar Bishops from Kerala are presently in Rome to meet the Pope. Such a meeting is held every five years, Thelekat said. Only after the return of the Bishops, the funeral date will be decided. The authority of the Syro Malabar church vests with Curia Bishop Bosco Puthur. Until the next Major Archbishop is elected by the Synod of Bishops, the administrative power will reside in the Curia Bishop, he said. The Cardinal was not very active since the past one year after suffering a heart attack.
Sources: http://ibnlive.in.com
