The Supreme head of the Syriac Orthodox Church anointed the new leader of their Church in India during a solemn ceremony in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, on March 25.

Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, the Patriarch of Syriac Orthodox Church, led the special ceremony in St Mary's Syrian Orthodox Cathedral to anoint Joseph Mor Gregorios as Catholicos, the head of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church in India.

Catholicos is the second-highest title in the Church after Patriarch.

Gregorios has now assumed the title of Catholicos Aboon Mor Baselios Joseph I. His elevation follows the death of Aboon Mor Baselios Thomas I, who was known for strong leadership and connection with people from all walks of life.

Dignitaries, including ministers from the federal and provincial governments of Kerala state in southern India, the home state of the Catholicos, attended the special ceremony in Lebanon.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the dignitaries who expressed their happiness over Gregorios' elevation.

In a message sent through an emissary, Modi said, "In various fields of the Church, the Catholicos has shown remarkable excellence."

He wished "the Jacobite Syrian Church continued progress under his leadership."

He wished "the Jacobite Syrian Church continued progress under his leadership."

In his congratulatory message, Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil, the head of India-based Eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church, said that the "Catholicos' spiritual leadership will be a blessing for the Jacobite Church and society at large."

Thattil also expressed the hope that the Catholicos will work towards the progress and welfare of the Christian community globally."

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a Hindu spiritual leader, said in his message, "his [Gregorios']commitment to spiritual growth and human values will continue to touch countless lives."

"Through his dedicated efforts in promoting social welfare and interfaith harmony, he has made a lasting and positive impact," he said.

The new Catholicos, born in India's Kerala state, has assumed charge amid a lingering property dispute between another faction of the Church in his home state.

The Oriental Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch split in 1911 in Kerala into Jacobite and Orthodox factions.

The Orthodox faction's supreme head is based in Kerala, while the Jacobites owe their allegiance to the patriarch of Antioch.

They came together in 1934, agreed on a constitution, and even elected the Catholicos of the East, based in Kerala, as their common head, but again split in 1973.

Both factions seized properties in areas where they had a numerical advantage, leading to litigation.

In 2017, India's Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, declared the Orthodox faction to be the legal heir of the Church's temporal properties while recognizing their mutual consent to the 1934 constitution as a legally binding agreement for both parties.

According to the top court's order, the Jacobite faction is required to hand over approximately 1,100 churches under its control but has refused to comply, resulting in another round of litigation.

The Orthodox faction has so far taken control of about 60 churches with police assistance while the legal battle continues.