Cyril Bernard Papali (1902–1981), also known as ''Cyril Bernard of the Mother of God OCD'', was an Indian

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

, writer, academic and a

Peritus ''Peritus'' (Latin for "expert") is the title given to Roman Catholic theologians attending an ecumenical council to give advice. At the Second Vatican Council, some ''periti'' (the plural form) accompanied individual bishops or groups of bisho ...

at the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

. Belonging to the

Discalced Carmelites The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ( la, Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo) or the Order of Discalced Carme ...

of the Manjummel province in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, Papali was known for his scholarship in Christian as well as Indian theologies and wrote a number of books on these subjects.

Biography

Cyril Bernard Papali was born in

Kara Kara or KARA may refer to: Geography Localities * Kara, Chad, a sub-prefecture * Kára, Hungary, a village * Kara, Uttar Pradesh, India, a township * Kara, Iran, a village in Lorestan Province * Kara, Republic of Dagestan, a rural locality in Da ...

, in the south Indian state of

on 26 September 1902. After opting the Third Order Discalced Carmelite (T.OCD) of the

Archdiocese of Verapoly The Archdiocese of Verapoly (Verapolitana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church, composed of Latin Catholics of Malabar and headquartered at the city of Cochin, in the south Indian state of Kerala. T ...

as the base of his vocation on 15 May 1924, he completed his vocational studies to be ordained as a priest on 30 May 1931. Eventually, he became the Prior General of the Congregation, a position he held until 1950, when he was called to Rome where he taught

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

at the

Pontifical Urban University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian,; it, Pontificia Università Urbaniana. is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People ...

. He worked at the university till his retirement in 1972. In between, he was a

at the

on the question of

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

which was in session from 1962 to 1965 and served as a Consultant of Vatican Secretariat for Non-Christians in 1964. Papali wrote several books and articles in the fields of theology, philosophy and religion. His book, ''Hinduism: Religion and Philosophy'' is considered by many scholars as a classical work in

Latin language Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

written by an Indian. ''The Advaita Vedanta of Sankaracarya'', a two-volume treatise on the

Advaita ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (lit ...

philosophy of

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...

is another of his known books on

. He has also written a book on

Mary, mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

under the title, ''Mother of God: Mary in Scripture and tradition'', Papali died on 14 September 1981, aged 78 at the Pontifical Theological Faculty and Pontifical Institute of Spirituality Teresianum in Rome.

Selected publications

* * * * * * * * *

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Papali, Cyril Bernard Indian Eastern Catholics 1902 births 1981 deaths Carmelites People from Kochi Christian clergy from Kerala Indian writers Second Vatican Council Roman Catholic theologians Indian theologians Indian religion academics Malayali people Academic staff of the Pontifical Urban University

Biography

Selected publications

See also

References

Further reading

External links