Bangalore: His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed Msgr. George Panamthundil (51), from the Syro Malankara Archdiocese of Trivandrum, as the apostolic nuncio in Kazakhstan, elevating him to the Archbishop of the titular see of Floriana. The appointment was made on 16 June 2023.
He is currently the Chargé d’affaires of the Nunciature in Cyprus. He is the first priest to become the Nuncio of the Syro Malankara Catholic Church.
He was born on 20 May 1972 at Trivandrum. He belongs to the parish of Saint Mary Queen of Peace Basilica, Palayam, Trivandrum. He was ordained a priest on 18 February 1998 for the Syro-Malankara archdiocese of Trivandrum.
He graduated in Eastern Canon Law from Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome. He entered the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See on 1 July 2005, worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Costa Rica, Guinea, Iraq, Austria, Israel, the Apostolic Delegation in Jerusalem and Palestine, and the Pontifical Representation in Cyprus. His episcopal ordination will be on 9 September 2023.