Late HG Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios
August 9, 1922 to November 24, 1996
Widely known and honoured
as a theologian, philosopher and author, His Grace Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios
was the first Metropolitan of Delhi, right from the inception of
the Diocese in 1976 & also the
Principal of the Orthodox Theological Semmary in Kottayam, Kerala since
1967. A former member of the Standing Committee of the Holy Episcopal
Synod, he was the President of the Synodal Committee for Inter-Church
Relations and Director of the Delhi Orthodox Centre and the institutions
attached to it. A former patron of the Council for the World's Religions,
he was the president of the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace,
New York, among several other responsible positions.
Born in Tripunithura, Kerala to T P Piely and Aley Piely, he had his early education in his home town. He worked with the
government in the P & T Dept., before joining Ethiopian government schools as a teacher. He continued his studies in Indiana at Goshen College
(BA), Oklahoma University and the Union Theological Seminary, NY and thereafter at Princeton (M.Div.) and Yale (STM). He did his doctoral studies in
Oxford and Muenster (Germany) and received his Doctorate in Theology from the Serampore University, India. Prior to his ordination as priest in 1961,
His Grace had successively held offices such as Gen. Secy-Orthodox Christian Student Movement of India; Associate Secy-Student Christian Movement of
India; Hon. Lecturer-Union Christian College, Alwaye; Personal Aide & Advisor to Emperor Haile Sellassie of Ethiopia; Hon. Lecturer-University
College of Addis Ababa and Director of the Division of Eumemical Action & Associate Secy. of the World Council of Churches, Geneva.
Prominent among the many honours & awards received by His Grace during his lifetime were the Soviet Land Nehru Award-India; Order of St.
Vladimir-USSR; Order of St. Sergius-USSR; Otto Nuschke Prize for Peace-GDR; Order of St. Mary Magdalen-Poland; Man of the year Award 1990-American
Biographical Institute, USA and the Bhai Param Vir Singh International Award-India. Apart from being the former Chief Editor of the quarterlies
Star of the East-New Delhi and
Purohitan-Kottayam, His Grace has to his credit many publications.
