Bishop Reuben Mark Elected Moderator of CSI Karimnagar Diocese

Rapid summary

• Rev. K. Reuben Mark Election: Rev. K. Reuben Mark, Bishop of CSI Karimnagar diocese and in-charge Bishop of CSI Medak diocese, was elected as the moderator of Church of South India (CSI) Synod during a special session held in Chennai on july 21, 2025.
• Synod’s Theme: The session focused on the theme “Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation and Unity.”
• Election Governance: Justice V. Bharathidasan served as the election officer and announced the results after the appointment process concluded.
• Recent Court Oversight: The madras High Court had earlier appointed retired judges R. Balasubramanian and V. Bharathidasan to administer CSI Trust Association following disputes over elections at Diocesan Councils and Synod levels since April 2024.
• Leadership Roles Filled: B. Vimal sukumar was elected honorary treasurer while C. Fernandas Rathina Raja assumed duties as general secretary for CSI Synod oversight responsibilities.
• CSI Overview: The Synod is CSI’s highest governing body comprising clergy and lay representatives across all its 24 dioceses.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The election marks an important milestone for Church governance under challenging circumstances that previously necessitated judicial intervention in administrative matters dating back to April 2024 due to allegations over procedural irregularities within Diocesan Councils’ leadership frameworks overseen per trust association separately-affiliated synodal clear-clean coordination contributions align seemingly follow-through managerial operational consistency corrected ambiguously outlined deliberations accountability-context interspersed trajectory autonomous divisional adherence