Yuhanon Mar Meletius

Yuhanon Meletius is the metropolitan bishop of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church's Thrissur Diocese in India. Following the death of Baselios Marthoma Paulose II in 2021, Meletius was one of the seven members of an administrative council that governed the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC).

Early life and education Yuhanon Meletius was born to Markose and Saramma Murimakkil at Ezhakkaranadu. He attended primary school at Maneed before attending St. Peter's College in Kolenchery, graduating with a degree on Malayalam. He later attended United Theological College in Bangalore for a MTh and Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago for PhD studies. He also studied Syriac at St Aphrem’s Seminary in Damascus. T. V. Anupama, the district collector, attempted mediation following the clashes and instructed both the Jacobite and Orthodox factions to vacate the church's surroundings, while Meletius accused the local police chief of instigating the Jacobite attempt to enter the church. Meletius was present as Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, the Malankara Catholicos of the East, refused mediation from other Christian denominations in resolving the row in December 2019, which the MOSC declared an internal matter.

Meletius was among those who approved the budgetary needs of the MOSC; in 2020, he was among the functionaries who approved a ₹790 crore annual budget for the church. Following the July 2021 death of Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, Meletius was on the seven-person administrative council that governed the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church until Baselios Marthoma Mathews III was enthroned in October that year. Meletius has also been a critic of P. C. George, a Poonjar politician who in 2022 Meletius called "opportunistic" and opposed to what Meletius called a majority of Christians who were "peace-loving" and "committed to the core values of India like democracy, freedom." George responded by accusing Meletius of working for the Pinarayi government.