Syrian Orthodox bishop visits Seton Hall
On June 27, Bishop (Mor) Theophilos Kuriakose of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church visited Seton Hall University for lunch and a moment of prayer with faculty and staff. The visit was held in the spirit of Pope Leo XIV’s call for “a respectful listening and fraternal dialogue” between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
Bishop Kuriakose was born in India in 1966. After earning his Bachelor of Divinity degree, he served as a lecturer at the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Theological Seminary in Mulanthuruthy in Kerala, India, from 1993 to 1995. Later, he traveled to Germany, where he earned his doctorate at the Catholic Faculty of the University of Regensburg. After his priestly ordination in 2002, he was consecrated as a Resident Metropolitan of the M.S.O.T. Seminary less than a year later. He is also a Professor of New Testament at the seminary.
For many years, Bishop Kuriakose has been actively involved in ecumenical dialogue. He is a member of the Joint Commission for Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church. He also serves on the International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between Catholic and Oriental Orthodox Churches.
A “rich and meaningful” dialogue
During his visit, Bishop Kuriakose joined a group of faculty members for lunch at the priests’ dining room at the Immaculate Conception School of Theology. Among those present was Nancy Enright, Ph.D., a Professor of English and Director of The Core at Seton Hall. In a blog post, she called the faculty’s conversation with Bishop Kuriakose “rich and meaningful.” Dr. Enright told Jersey Catholic that the bishop spoke about topics that included how Christianity arrived in India and the relationship between Christians and Hindus.
Among the other faculty members who met with Bishop Kuriakose was Monsignor John (Jack) A. Radano, a retired Adjunct Professor at the School of Theology. Much of Monsignor Radano’s sixty-year ministry was devoted to interreligious dialogue; he and Bishop Kuriakose were already well acquainted through their mutual work in this area. Sadly, Seton Hall announced that Monsignor Radano passed away unexpectedly on July 7. Ines Murzaku, Chair of Catholic Studies, who arranged for Bishop Kuriakose’s visit, told Jersey Catholic that Monsignor Radano “worked tirelessly until the end for Christian ecumenism and unity.”
After lunch, Alan Delozier, Seton Hall University archivist, gave the bishop a tour of the school’s archives, assisted by several university librarians. Included among the items shown to the bishop was a religious text written in Classical Syriac.
Bishop Kuriakose ended his afternoon at Seton Hall by joining some members of the Sant’Egidio group on campus for prayer. In her post, Dr. Enright said that the visit was “a beautiful time of fellowship and of building bridges with an important figure in the Orthodox community and, as we all experienced, a warm and devout person of faith.”
(Featured image: Bishop Theophilos Kuriakose of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church visited Seton Hall University on June 27, 2025. Photos courtesy Nancy Enright, Ph.D.)
