17 Facts About Joseph Kallarangatt

Joseph Kallarangatt was born on 27 January 1956 and is an Indian bishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church serving as the Bishop of the Eparchy of Palai since 2004 succeeding Joseph Pallikaparampil.

Joseph Kallarangatt was born on 27 January 1956, in Kayyoor located in the Kottayam district of Kerala.

Joseph Kallarangatt received his education at a Catholic seminary in Palai and became an ordained priest on 2 January 1982.

Joseph Kallarangatt was an assistant parish priest at the Aruvithura and Ramapuram parishes until he was sent to the Gregorian University in Rome, Italy in 1984, from where he attained a doctorate in theology.

Joseph Kallarangatt assisted in the 2017 consecration of Thomas Tharayil as the auxiliary bishop to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanacherry led by the Archbishop of Changanacherry, Joseph Perumthottam.

In early 2018, Joseph Kallarangatt headed a doctrinal committee of the church, which produced a report concluding that the religious interpretation of yoga was incompatible with Christian beliefs.

Joseph Kallarangatt is one of the prominent bishops who is staunch adherent to the traditions, liturgical and ritual peculiarities of the Syro-Malabar Church.

Joseph Kallarangatt is an expert in Syriac language and theology and is known to be the only Syro-Malabar bishop who is capable of celebrating the Holy Qurbana in Syriac.

Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt was allegedly one of the first church authorities she had confided to back in June 2017.

The announcement of the scheme by Joseph Kallarangatt caused controversy but he defended it, stating that he stood by the scheme and that it was announced to support large families facing financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 8 September 2021, Joseph Kallarangatt sparked a major controversy during a sermon at Kuravilangad Church, when he claimed that "love jihad" was real and that there was a "narcotics jihad" targeting youths by radicals as a means of indirect war to annihilate the non-Muslim population.

Joseph Kallarangatt described "narcotics jihad" as being present in places such as ice cream parlours, juice corners, rave parties, and hotels.

Joseph Kallarangatt claimed these places led to youths becoming trapped into drug addiction.

Bishop Yuhanon Meletius of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and Bishop Coorilose Geevarghese of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, both part of Oriental Orthodoxy expressed the strongest condemnations stating that Joseph Kallarangatt had fallen into the design of the Sangh Parivar and was creating divisions among minorities with conspiracy theories at a time of growing fascism in India which threatened all of them.

The statement affirmed that the Joseph Kallarangatt's homily reflected the official position of the Syro-Malabar Church on the issue.

The statement affirmed that Joseph Kallarangatt's homily reflected the official position of the Syro-Malabar Church on the matter in Kerala.

Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala and a leader of the left-wing Communist Party of India, stated that it was the first time he was hearing about such a thing as "narcotics jihad" and that Joseph Kallarangatt being an influential and learned man should think before speaking and remember his civil obligation of not creating divisions in society, an obligation which all religious leaders have.