Metropolitan Mar Aprem of the Chaldean Syrian Church, an Indian ecumenical leader, passes away

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

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07 July 2025

Chiang Mai, Thailand: The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) mourns the passing of Metropolitan Mar Aprem, former Head of the Chaldean Syrian Church (Church of the East) in India. He was 85 years old.

Widely recognised as a distinguished scholar, historian, and prolific author, Dr Mar Aprem served as the spiritual head of the Church of the East in India for more than half a century, until 2023. He was a shepherd to generations of the faithful, having been ordained a deacon in 1961, a priest in 1965, and consecrated as a bishop in 1968. He was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan at the young age of 28.

Born in 1940 in Thrissur, Kerala, India, he completed his schooling at the Chaldean Syrian School and pursued intermediate studies at St. Thomas College. He went on to study theology at several prestigious institutions: Leonard Theological College in Jabalpur; St. Boniface College in London; United Theological College in Bangalore; Princeton Theological Seminary; and Union Theological Seminary in New York. He held two doctoral degrees—one in Theology and another in Syriac.

Fluent in eight languages including Aramaic, Metropolitan Mar Aprem was widely celebrated for his linguistic prowess and deep knowledge of the Syriac language and liturgy. His scholarly contributions were remarkable: he authored over 65 books on Church history, theology, and ecumenism, including his most widely circulated book Laughing with the Bishop. A longstanding tradition he kept was releasing a new book each year on his birthday.

Throughout his life, he was a committed ecumenist and an active figure in the global Christian community. He contributed significantly to the work of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Christian Conference of Asia.

Recollecting his long association with Metropolitan Mar Aprem, CCA General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara stated, “The late lamented Metropolitan had a longstanding commitment and passion for nurturing inter-church and inter-religious relations. His profound scholarship in Church history and deep knowledge of the Syriac language and liturgy have been widely recognised”.

Dr Mar Aprem served as an official delegate of the Church of the East at several international ecumenical forums, including the WCC Assemblies, and was actively involved with national and international bodies. He held consecutive roles on committees of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), served as a long-time member of the Board of Directors of the Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), and was President of the Church History Association of India (CHAI) from 1976 to 1982.

In 2015, following the passing of Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV, the 120th Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, Mar Aprem briefly headed the global Assyrian Church for six months until the election of a new Patriarch.

In 2018, he celebrated the 50th anniversary of his episcopal ordination, marking a rare milestone in ecclesiastical leadership.

In recognition of his cultural and ecumenical contributions, Metropolitan Mar Aprem was awarded the Medal of Merit by the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Centre, Venice.

CCA extends its heartfelt condolences to the faithful of the Chaldean Syrian Church of the East in India and joins in prayer with all who mourn his passing.

The Chaldean Syrian Church of India is an Eastern Christian denomination, based in Thrissur, in India. It is part of the greater Assyrian Church of the East and is organised as an Archdiocese (See of India), and represents the part of traditional Christian communities that follow the East Syriac Rite in the Malabar region of India.

The ancient undivided Malankara Church in India has a centuries-old historical relationship with the Eastern Church, also known as the Nestorian Church (Chaldean tradition), dating back at least to the third century A.D. Episcopal assistance was sent from the Eastern Church to support the Malankara Church, which followed the Eastern Syriac language and Chaldean rites until 1599. Mar Aprem’s lifetime of service continued to honour and deepen this enduring connection.