Kerala: Believers Church head KP Yohannan dies after car accident in US; funeral in Thiruvalla

By Aishwarya Nair | First Published May 9, 2024, 12:08 PM IST

Believers Eastern Church Metropolitan Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan breathed his last on Wednesday (May 08) following a cardiac arrest in Dallas, Texas. He was critically injured in a car accident.

Believers Eastern Church Metropolitan Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan (74), also known as KP Yohannan, who was critically injured in a car accident in the US, passed away due to a sudden cardiac arrest on Wednesday (May 08). The funeral will be held in Thiruvalla.

"He passed away due to sudden cardiac arrest in a hospital in Dallas, Texas, where he had been receiving treatment since his accident," a Church official said.

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"Beloved Archbishops, Bishops, Fathers and all the Faithful With profound grief and sorrow, we would like to inform you that His Holiness Athanasius Yohan I our honorable Metropolitan reposed in the Lord this evening, the 8th of May 2024. He passed away due to sudden cardiac arrest in a hospital in Dallas, Texas where he had been receiving treatment since his accident. Further details will be announced soon by the Holy Synod. May his memory be eternal!, " a Facebook post shared by Believers Eastern Church read.

K P Yohannan, born in 1950 in the village of Niranam near Thiruvalla, devoted his life to serving God after completing his high school education.

"In obedience to the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, he then spent the next eight years of his life proclaiming the gospel and doing charitable works in South Asia," a church document said.

After receiving theological training in the US during the 1970s, Yohannan established a missionary organization, which later evolved into one of the largest missionary and church-planting movements across numerous Asian countries.

On February 6, 2003, he was consecrated and promoted to the position of Metropolitan within the Believers Eastern Church.

Following the Orthodox Christian tradition, he adopted the name Athanasius Yohan, paying tribute to his revered patron saints, St. Athanasius, renowned for defending orthodoxy, and St. John (Yohan), the Apostle and Evangelist.

Under his guidance, the church has experienced significant growth over the past two decades, witnessing the establishment of over 12,000 parishes across Asia and Africa. He also served as the founding patron of the St. Ignatius Theological Seminary, the Believers Church Residential School, and the Believers Church Medical College & Hospital in Thiruvalla.

The responsibility of determining the future of the religious institution has been entrusted to the synod, consisting of approximately 30 bishops.

The synod, typically convening two to three times annually to address governance issues, is anticipated to gather soon. The Metropolitan is selected from among its duly-consecrated bishops (episcopas).

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