When Resignation Becomes Retention: HG Dr Coorilose Geevarghese | HG Alexandrios Thomas

A Church that values titles and control, or a Church that values truth and transparency?

A Church where bishops act as servants, or as administrators of influence?

In recent months, the Syrian Orthodox Church in India has found itself under the public microscope not because of its faith or theology, but because of growing contradictions within its own episcopal leadership. Two senior Metropolitans, H.G. Dr Coorilose Geevarghese (Niranam Diocese) and H.G. Alexandrios Thomas (Mumbai Diocese), have become the centre of debate and disappointment among the faithful. Their actions and inaction raise uncomfortable but necessary questions about the meaning of resignation, the use of ecclesiastical power, and the Church’s moral direction.

In October 2023, HG Dr Coorilose Geevarghese publicly announced that he was stepping down from the Niranam Diocese, expressing a desire to live a quiet life of prayer, reading, and social service. His resignation was widely covered in the media, including by Mathrubhumi. But within months, he reportedly returned to the same position, allegedly at the insistence of the present Catholicos. Interestingly, he never surrendered his charge of the Kuwait Diocese, which remains one of the most financially vibrant regions under the Church’s umbrella.

Similarly, HG Alexandrios Thomas, who resigned from the Mumbai Diocese, continues to control the Ireland Diocese and other overseas churches. Both have left their Indian dioceses but kept a tight grip on international ones, where donations and remittances often translate to significant financial power. Another layer of contradiction surfaces when examining the case of 

Mor Alexandrios Thomas

H.G. Alexandrios Thomas. Despite having resigned from the Mumbai Diocese, he continues to exert authority over the Vellore region, specifically as the Founder and active head of the Santhwana Guidance & Counselling Centre, which geographically falls under the Mylapore Diocese. This overlapping jurisdiction exposes a deep flaw in the Church’s administrative structure, where personal initiatives of bishops evolve into private empires within ecclesiastical boundaries. The Santhwana Centre, originally envisioned as a mission-oriented initiative, now stands as an example of how authority is selectively retained even after resignation. Such control not only undermines the hierarchy of the Church but also signals a deeper problem a culture where resignation is cosmetic, power is retained through institutional proxies, and accountability is conveniently avoided. When diocesan boundaries are ignored and titles are used to preserve influence, what remains is not service to the faithful, but a quiet consolidation of authority in the name of charity.

If one truly wishes to “step away from administration,” why keep control over the most lucrative parts of it?

Both prelates have strategically held on to foreign dioceses, which often generate massive funds through tithes and community contributions. In these jurisdictions, financial transparency is minimal, and oversight from the Church’s central body in India is often weak. It’s been widely reported among clergy circles that HG Coorilose, in his role overseeing mission work, has pressured mission ministers to sell church owned land outside Kerala and “take their share” if interested. That’s not the voice of spiritual leadership, that’s the language of liquidation. When mission lands are treated as personal property and bishops act like brokers, the Gospel mission starts to sound like a real estate portfolio.

HG Dr Coorilose Geevarghese

Even after “resigning,” HG Dr Coorilose Geevarghese has stayed in the public eye not for prayerful retreat but for public remarks and controversies.

- In June 2024, Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called him “empty-headed” after Coorilose criticized the government. (The New Indian Express)

- Around the same time, he backed a rapper’s “cultural revolution against the white gods,” earning mixed reactions from believers and clergy alike. (Mathrubhumi, 2024)

- Later, he made headlines again — this time as a victim of cyber fraud, losing over ₹15 lakh to scammers posing as CBI officers. (Hindustan Times)

While the last incident doesn’t indicate wrongdoing, it highlights how loosely finances seem to be handled and how vulnerable even high-ranking clergy are to financial mismanagement.

Despite stepping down, HG Dr Coorilose continues to hold positions in ecumenical councils and missionary boards. Meanwhile, HG Alexandrios Thomas, though absent from India, maintains administrative control abroad. This kind of selective resignation, stepping down, where scrutiny is high, staying in where money flows freely, weakens the credibility of the episcopate. It gives the impression that spiritual service is being swapped for political and financial comfort.

The faithful deserve clarity and honesty. When leaders resign, it should mean a genuine withdrawal from all positions of power, not just a symbolic gesture. Anything less erodes trust. If bishops continue to operate behind the curtain, directing finances, lands, and missions from a distance, it reduces the Church to an institution of politics rather than a community of faith. The Church doesn’t need new hierarchies; it needs accountability. It doesn’t need leaders who “step down” for headlines and “step back in” for control. It needs genuine shepherds who can say no to power when conscience demands it. The Syrian Orthodox Church stands at a crossroads. The issue isn’t just about two Metropolitans, it’s about what kind of Church we want to be. The path forward must be one of honesty, humility, and spiritual renewal. Resignation should mean renunciation, not retention. Only then can the Church reclaim its moral authority and the trust of its faithful.

Source References: Mathrubhumi, The New Indian Express, Hindustan Times (2023–2024)