Bengaluru: Pope Francis, on Monday, renewed the appointment of Fr (Prof.) Francis Thonippara, C.M.I as a member of the Pontifical Committee for Social Sciences, Vatican for another five years. Currently, he is teaching in a seminary in Namibia, Africa.
The extension of the appointment was announced by Peter Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State, Vatican.
Fr. Thonippara belongs to the religious Community of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI). He obtained his Licentiate and Doctorate in Church History from the Gregorian University, Rome. He holds a Diploma in Archival Sciences from Vatican. He teaches Church History, Latin and allied subjects in Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram (DVK), Pontifical Athenaeum, Bengaluru, and is a visiting faculty in many other major seminaries and formation houses.
To his credit there are a number of books and the recent ones include Dimensions of History (2019), The Syro-Malabar Church and the All India Jurisdiction (2019). He has also contributed to the encyclopedias, edited works, national and international journals. He regularly participates at national and international conferences and presents research papers.
He was the National Coordinator for the collection of the archival documents of the Indian fathers who attended the Second Vatican Council. He was the former President of Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram and former Provincial of CMI St Thomas Province Kozhikode. He was a member of the Senate Serampore.
The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences was established by the late Supreme Pontiff John Paul II with the Motu Proprio of 1 January 1994. Each of the Academy’s meetings begins with a report on the Church’s social teachings relative to the topic in question.
The Academy investigates points where further elaboration of these teachings seems advisable and provides a constructive evaluation of the teachings in the light of the social sciences. To achieve its aims the Academy organizes conferences and workshops on specific themes, promotes scientific surveys and research, helps institutions and private individuals to execute them, publishes the results of its own consultations and issues publications of a scientific nature.