A Blessed Moment at the Vatican: Foundational Stone of St Benedict Malankara Catholic Church, Konnithazham, Blessed by the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV

Vatican – May 2025

There are rare moments when heaven seems to stoop gently to earth — and one such moment unfolded in the Eternal City.

His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Mor Irenios, Bishop of Pathanamthitta, was received in solemn grace by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican this May. In a gesture both deeply symbolic and spiritually profound, the Holy Father personally blessed the foundational stone of the newly rebuilt St Benedict Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, Konnithazham, and handed it over to His Excellency.

This is not merely a ceremony etched in protocol; it is a living gesture of communion — a sign that the universal Church watches over even our most humble parishes with love and concern. The parish of Konnithazham, rooted deeply in the spiritual soil of the Pathanamthitta Eparchy, now holds a direct bond with the See of Peter.

When this stone is laid into the earth of Konnithazham, it will do more than bear the physical weight of the church. It will carry the memory of an Anugrahitha Nimisham — a Blessed Moment — when a church from the verdant hills of Kerala was spiritually embraced in the heart of Christendom.

May this act strengthen the faith of our people, and may the intercession of St Benedict, patron of the parish, bless the construction and consecration of this sacred temple.