A Personal Reminiscence on H.G. Dr. Paulose Mar Gregorios
Part I
It was Tuesday, November 19, 1996, a chilly fall morning in Delhi. Although I needed rest after the long flight from Chicago, I had made last-moment changes in my travel plans and flew straight from Bombay to Delhi. I couldn't wait to see Gregorios Thirumeni. (The Malayalam word Thirumeni is a respectful way of addressing Bishops and high priests in Kerala, equivalent to Most Reverend). I had listened to an intuitive nudging when I changed my itinerary, and that gave me the chance to be with him during some of the last days of his life.
Several memories about Thirumeni flashed through my mind as I entered the Delhi Orthodox Center that day; the images of his erudite lectures, powerful orations, philosophical discourses, spiritual leadership, reflections on his vision for a just and peaceful world, enlightening sermons, and above all, his fatherly affection.
I remembered, in particular, his recent leadership of the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago. A towering figure in the Ecumenical and inter-religious movements, Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios was the torchbearer chosen to inaugurate its Centenary celebrations, a colorful and grand function held in Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago. Unlike his Indian predecessor of the last century, the Vivekananda of the twentieth century did not have to wait till the end to command the attention of the Parliament!
Gregorios Thirumeni was the Archbishop of Delhi of the Malankara Orthodox Church of India and the Principal of the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kottayam, Kerala. But he was much larger than those official chairs he held in his Church. A leading Theologian of the Orthodox Churches of the World, as well as a former Associate General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, and later one of its presidents, he was well known in mainstream Churches all over the world.
However, I did not go to Delhi to meet with the Theologian, the Philosopher, the Metropolitan, the Author, and the socio-political leader. I went there to be with the human being, also known to the outside world as Metropolitan Paulos Mar Gregorios, my life-long teacher and friend, who had showered unconditional love, acceptance, and respect onto my family and myself, much more than we ever deserved.
I was ushered into his bedroom as soon as I got there. Thirumeni was sitting on his chair, wearing the plain white kammeeze of the Orthodox Christian priest. A walking stick, which he had been using for a while, leaned against the arm of the chair. I knew he was ill, but he did not look sick. The usual exuberance and energy was not there, but his face looked bright and serene, and his mind was as sharp as ever.
I perched quietly on a modest wooden chair, one of two guest chairs in that small, austere room.
"How was your flight? I am sorry I could not send my car to the airport to pick you up. I don't have a chauffeur now." His hospitality had always been embarrassingly perfect ever since I first met him in 1955. I was deeply humbled once when he waited for an hour at the airport to meet me.
"And how is Chinnamma?" He inquired as well about my children Joe, Kurian, and Liz with the love and yearning of a grandfather. He wanted to know about their marriages, their work and educational endeavors. It was he who had first placed his hand on their heads to bless them when they arrived on this planet. Although he was working in Geneva as the Associate General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, he was in Trivandrum for a conference soon after Joe and Kurian were born, and called on us. We felt it was a blessed coincidence. I don't remember which part of the globe he was trotting when Liz was born. But he paid a surprise visit to bless her too.
When Joe was going through a stressful freshman year in college, Thirumeni made a special trip to Champaign, Illinois to see him. When Liz got married, he came over to Chicago from India, bound to a wheelchair, to be the chief celebrant of her wedding ceremonies. She wanted only her Appan (her grandfather, also a priest) or Thirumeni to conduct her wedding. Appan was no more. So Thirumeni had no choice! He was a grandfather-ideal to all of them.
Gregorios Thirumeni had played with my children for hours whenever he had a chance to visit with us. He enjoyed playing with all children and would keep on, oblivious to anything or anyone around, whether in a tense and crowded airport in Tokyo, or during a politically charged get-together at an American parish of the Malankara Orthodox Church. He used to say that playing with little children was his only form of relaxation.
One of his greatest joys was visiting with the children of the Orphanage in Thalacode, Kerala. The orphanage was one of Thirumeni's favorite projects and he developed it into a viable institution. In his will Thirumeni bequeathed a significant portion of his estate to this orphanage. Those innocent children always remember him as a loving grandfather.
Dr. Gregorios turned into a child when he was with children, and a philosopher, scientist, or king when in the company of the elite ones. I am afraid it was difficult for him to be anywhere in between! He could relate easily with the international roster of his friends like the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Dr. Robert Runcie (Archbishop of Canterbury), Pope John Paul I, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Baba Virza Singhji Maharaj (Delhi), Swami Chidanand Saraswathi (Rishikesh), Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Miyan (Luckno), Swami Lokeswarananda (Ramakrishna Mission), Dr. Karan Singh, President R. Venkatraman, and President Roman Herzog of Germany. He could find immense joy in conversing and playing with children as well.
Family dinners, when he stayed with us, were always memorable and relaxing. One evening he started explaining Hegel's dialectical philosophy to Joe, Kurian and Liz who were only in high school! "What is going on here?" I wondered. At the time he had been reading Hegel in original German in order to write a book on the works of the Holy Spirit. He had borrowed the books from the University of Chicago library to read them in our house. Thirumeni explained Hegel's theories in an understandable, simple, and beautiful way to the children. He told me that he could be sure that he understood those theories only if he was able to make the children understand them. In conversation and lectures, his skills in elucidating even the most complex theological, philosophical or scientific theories were brilliant and unmatched. I am sure he would have had a much larger readership if he had dictated his book the way he was talking to an audience rather than written them by hand in philosophical diction.
At another dinner, Kurian asked Thirumeni how he came to know the Emperor Hailie Sellassie of Ethiopia. My children were at an age when kings and clowns filled their fantasy world. They got plenty of stories during the next two hours to enrich them for the rest of their lives! His anecdotal style was an effective way to transmit eternal values to the children. Every story had a sublime aim beyond that of a benign biographical exposition.
For a brief article on Thirumeni this may be a rather long narration on his stay in Ethiopia, but for various reasons it is important to include his relationship with the Emperor as it reveals a great deal about the strong personalities of both of these historical figures. The powerful experiences Thirumeni had in Ethiopia tested his faith and values and were important to his spiritual growth and his vision for the world.
Long ago, he had told me about an unusual experience he had during the earliest days of his life in Ethiopia where he fell a victim to a torturous and menacing form of small pox. Since no one would visit him or even take food to him for fear of contagion, he was in a sort of solitary confinement in his room experiencing pain, loneliness, and agony. He cried and yelled at God in anger and frustration as most of us do in times of crisis. In that moment of anguish and darkness he heard a distinct voice saying, "Yes my son, my suffering on the cross was worse." This was a turning point in his life, the end of self-pity and the beginning of a new path, a commitment to follow Jesus.
Gregorios Thirumeni, who was then a teacher in Ethiopia by the name of Paul Verghese, had directed the Shakespearean play Julius Caesar for his school's anniversary celebrations. (A bishop in the Orthodox Church receives a new name when he is ordained as bishop.) In the play he acted as Mark Antony, a role in which Thirumeni's oratorical talents found full expression. The Emperor Hailie Sellassie was in the audience to demonstrate his special interest in the educational activities of his country. Deeply moved by the performance of 'Mark Antony,' the Emperor wanted to meet with him personally. During the conversation Paul Verghese talked to the Emperor in Amharik, the Emperor's native language. Amazed at this foreign teacher's command of Amharik, Hailie Sellassie asked how long Paul had been in Ehiopia.
" An year and a few months, your Majesty."
Hailie Sellassie was fascinated by the play and asked for a copy of Julius Caesar to read that night.
A few weeks later Paul Verghese received an order appointing him as the Senior Teacher of the Amharik language in the most prestigious High school in Addis Ababa. Soon the Emperor began to invite him to the palace just to listen to Paul speak Amharik. Thirumeni had a remarkable ability to master several languages and had "dabbled in a dozen or more" languages. He wrote a grammar book for the Amharik language during his tenure as a teacher in Ethiopia. He was also proficient in English and Malayalam, his native language. He could handle Hindi, German, French, Sanskrit, Tamil, Greek, Russian, Aramaic, and even a Native American language.
Paul Verghese wanted to study theology and got a scholarship to go to Goshen College, Indiana for his undergraduate degree. Hailie Sellassie came to know about this. "You do not need to study any theology. You know enough now. You stay here and work with me. We need you in the Palace," the Emperor told him. Unsure that he could dissuade Paul Verghese from leaving Ethiopia, Hailie Sellassie asked the Crown Prince, the Archbishop, and a few others to follow up on this issue. But all their efforts were of no avail. Hailie Sellassi was angry and did not communicate with Paul for a while. After all, he, the Emperor, was the 'King of kings.'
Paul Verghese took his undergraduate degree in two years, and then went to Princeton to study theology. There he completed the requirements for Bachelor of Divinity in two years and he wanted to leave America for India.
Love overcomes hurt pride. Hailie Sellassie followed the whereabouts of his favorite "son" and kept track of him. When the Emperor was on a State visit to the United States, Princeton University held a reception in his honor. To the dismay of the president of the university, the visiting Head of State made a special request that a particular graduate student named Paul Verghese be invited to the official banquet.
The father meets the son with love, with a heart filled with forgiveness!
"So this is your University. We (the Imperial We) have tracked you down. And we know that you have finished your studies and will be getting your degree in a few days. You are coming back with us to Ethiopia. No more excuses," said the Emperor. There was no one in the palace Hailie Sellassie could trust. Too many enemies from within and lingering threats of coup d'etat!
An eternal human dilemma! Return to plough the father's farm or follow one's own vision? They were both stubborn people, and pursued relentlessly whatever they wanted from life. Neither one gave in, yet each kept affection and high regard for each other. Paul Verghese went to Alwaye, India to teach Bible at Union Christian College. I was a sophomore there at the time.
Religious activities began to flourish with his arrival at the college. Over and above the routine Scripture lessons in the college curriculum, I attended his weekly Bible Study group in the evenings. Weekends were filled with spiritual activities. As President of the Student Christian Fellowship and Secretary of the Philosophy Association, I worked very closely with him for several hours every week. He became my guru and a big brother too.
He never turned me down. When he and I were planning an entertainment program to raise funds for the Student Christian Fellowship, he searched through his bookshelf and pulled out Shakespeare's works. "Why not we produce Julius Caesar?" he mused.
Julius Caesar! A Shakespearean Play! In Alwaye College! He must be kidding, I thought.
A reassuring smile! Then he told me the story of his 'acting career' in Ethiopia.
"This is great! Would you play Mark Antony again?" I asked. This was an audacious request by a student to a teacher those days. Professors were kept on a high pedestal and they never acted in a play side by side with students. We never even mingled with the faculty socially.
To my surprise he nodded "Yes." Then who will play the other roles?
"Let us ask Joseph Achen to act as Julius Caesar. And, let us try to get George Zachariah for Brutus," he said.
Professor George Zachariah was my Psychology professor. Rev. Dr.K.C. Joseph (Joseph Achen) was a senior faculty member, Professor of English, and a priest too! I did not have the nerve to ask either of them to act in a play. Respectable and serious minded people in India would seldom want to identify himself as an actor. So Paul Verghese took up the responsibility of persuading these men to play those roles.
The entertainment went very well, the best one in memory. Everyone welcomed the participation of the faculty and the new, lively interaction between students and faculty.
When Emperor Hailie Sellassie paid a State visit to India in 1957 he persuaded the Nehru Government to request Paul Verghese's services for Ethiopia. When Paul Verghese declined that offer the Emperor sent a direct telegram asking him to meet with the Ethiopian Ambassador in New Delhi. Hailie Sellassie wasn't going to take "No" for an answer.
I was at the Fellowship House, the residence of Paul Verghese, when he received the telegram from the Emperor. The mailman had taken eight hours to deliver the telegram, an unusually long delay even by Indian standards. I told him he should complain to the Postmaster. But, with a smile he said, "You know, I worked as a telegraph clerk in the Post Office for six years before I went to Ethiopia. I don't want to get a mailman in trouble."
The Ambassador's mission failed, but the Emperor would not give up. When Hailie Sellassie reached Kerala during his tour he had a meeting with His Holiness Baselius Geevarghese II, the Head of the Malankara Orthodox Church. Paul Verghese was there as the interpreter for H.H. Baselius Geevarghese II, the only human being Paul Verghese would obey without question. The Emperor made his request to His Holiness, who tactfully persuaded Paul Verghese to accept Hailie Sellassie's request. Soon he moved to the Imperial Palace in Addis Ababa as the Emperor's Private Secretary and the Minister in charge of Education and Liaison Affairs with India.
Life in the Palace could be a dream for common folks like me. But Paul Verghese was not happy there, and was very uncomfortable with the intrigues, power politics, and corruption that went on around the place. It was not the life he wanted, and he wanted to get out of that trap.
On a day of State Celebrations, quite unexpectedly, the Emperor called Paul Verghese to his presence. When he went in, the Emperor was sitting on his throne, dressed in his formal attire. The Emperor's pet lion kept him company, regally watching his master, the 'Lion of Judah.'
"What do you want to be in life?" asked the Emperor.
Carefully observing all the formalities of addressing the Emperor, Paul Verghese voiced his wish, "I want to serve the people."
" Years from now I will probably be forgotten. But I have a charity fund, The Hailie Sellassie Charity Fund for which I want to be remembered by posterity. You be in charge of that fund."
With awe in the presence of the Emperor, the demure Paul muttered, "I want to serve the people of my Church in India."
Reaching for the power of powerlessness!
Suddenly, the Emperor stood up in anger and roared, "You were born in India by mistake. You are an Ethiopian, and I am your Emperor. You obey my orders."
Court dismissed!
A week later Paul Verghese received a memo giving him charge of the Hailie Sellassie Charity Fund. He was also personally given shares of the Emperor's private business endeavors, the Addis Ababa Transportation Company, and the Ethiopian brewing company.
The Emperor's granddaughter, a British-educated, beautiful young woman, was also appointed as Paul Verghese's secretary. With a twinkle in his eyes Hailie Sellassie later asked Paul Verghese, "How is the new secretary working out?"
What is the agenda here!
The Emperor wanted Paul Verghese to be his grandson-in-law. "My son is not my son," the Emperor once told Paul Verghese. Hailie Sellassie did not hold the Crown Prince in high regard. They never got along well.
Money started to flow into Paul Verghese's bank account from the transportation and the brewery companies.
Power and money, and now an invitation to be a member of the royal family - the great 'Temptations!' Wouldn't it be unsettling to anyone? But the question is "Was this God's calling for Paul Verghese."
The favorite son Paul waited. When the Emperor went abroad on a State visit Paul Verghese flew to Yugoslavia and sent a telegram to the Emperor, " I have left Ethiopia."
The determination to be what he wanted to be! To be true to one's own spirit!
As I write this, in the same dining room in which Thirumeni told the story of the Monarch and the Monk, I can see in my mind's eyes the look on my children's faces. Their eyes and ears were glued to Thirumeni, like a Norman Rockwell painting.
Thirumeni told them several other stories of his long relationship with Emperor Hailie Sellassie. Some may be worth repeating here, for what they reveal of Thirumeni and echo in his own life.
Once, he told them, when Ethiopia was threatened with army revolts the Emperor called Paul Verghese to the Palace for consultation. It was a tense moment. The palace courtyard was filled with the army in rebellion. Hailie Sellassie decided to face them and address them from his balcony. He wore his formal royal attire and was pacing up and down his chamber. Paul Verghese was in the adjoining room along with the Crown Prince, Defense Minister, and all the other Cabinet ministers. No one knew what was going to happen next! Apprehension! Doom!
The Emperor called Paul Verghese into his chamber.
"I am going to face the Army," said Hailie Sellassie in a calm, firm voice. Then he grabbed Paul's hand and said, "Examine my body. I could be dead by a soldier's bullet in thirty minutes. I want you to be my witness that I don't have any bulletproof vest on. I have never feared anyone but God!"
An embodiment of Imperial courage! The faith of the Head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church!
Emperor Hailie Sellassie addressed the soldiers for thirty minutes. They dispersed in peace!
As Thirumeni continued his story, I wanted to tape-record his unique eyewitness account of history, but I was afraid that might interrupt his train of thought. Besides, it felt awkward to record a private family dinner chat and make all of us self-conscious.
The story continued, and he talked about the coup d'etat. The Emperor was abroad, and the Crown Prince announced over the radio that Hailie Sellassie had been dethroned and that the Prince had taken over as Head of State.
Hailie Sellassie flew back to Addis Ababa. The people and a large section of the military rallied behind him. He was back on the Throne again, a second time in his life. The first time Mussolini had dethroned him, but this time his own son had done the deed! He was rattled quite a bit.
He wanted to talk this over with Paul Verghese, his trusted counselor. Paul Verghese flew to Addis Ababa and met the Emperor in his private room. Hailie Sellassie asked the guards to close the doors, and that they be left alone.
Hailie Selassie poured out his heart. " You always tell me that I don't trust people. How could I? It was my own Palace Guards who did this to me," bemoaned the Emperor. It had been four hours by the time they let the doors of the chamber open.
The Crown Prince had his side of the story. He invited Paul Verghese to his palace for dinner. As soon as he was received at the door the Prince signaled that there be no discussions, no chats on the political situation. Every room was bugged by the secret police, the Prince had suspected.
After dinner the Prince told the guards, "Two chairs," and pointed towards the garden in the backyard. He wanted it to be just the two of them, where it possibly was safe to talk.
The Prince explained the situation to Paul Verghese and said he was innocent. The military junta had forced him into the radio station, and at gunpoint made him read the statement overthrowing the Hailie Sellassie regime. The Crown Prince said that Ethiopia had changed, and that when he came to power he would allow democracy a chance.
The Military Court ruled that the leaders of the coup be publicly executed. That was the law of the land. Paul Verghese voiced a word of protest to the Emperor. "You don't know anything about Statecraft," the Monarch shot back at the Monk.
When the turmoil subsided Paul Verghese sat down with Hailie Sellassie and gave some suggestions for a future course. 'Ethiopia and the world are changing. People want to have a voice in running their country. You may have to give the responsibility of day- to-day administration to the people and the Cabinet, and then sit back as a figurehead, like Gandhiji.'
The Emperor called a Cabinet meeting and solemnly proclaimed, "From now on you have the responsibility of running the Government. I shall stay in the background as a figurehead. Whatever good you do, you get the credit, and whatever mistakes you commit, you take the blame for it."
Things went smoothly for a few weeks. Everyone felt relieved and comfortable. But Hailie Sellassie couldn't help it. On every little issue, the Emperor started calling up the Cabinet ministers to yell at them, "Why did you do this, why did you do that," and so on. Finally the Cabinet members gave up on 'democracy,' and Ethiopia was back to its one-man rule. Hailie Sellassie was too old and too stubborn to change.
But the average Ethiopian loved him, adored him, and one sect of people even believed that Hailie Sellassie was their prophet. Hailie Sellassie repeatedly told them that he was only an ordinary human being, but they wouldn't accept it. They insisted that the prophecy specifically said that the prophet would deny that he was the prophet. Everything about Hailie Sellassis's life fit the story of their Prophet. A group of such 'believers' rebelled against their government in an island state. They said that the Governor of that state had no authority over them; only Hailie Sellassie was their god-king. The Emperor sent Paul Verghese to this island state to tell them that Hailie Sellassie wanted them to know that the Emperor was not a prophet, as they had believed. After they heard the emissary, their Chief held an orange and a knife in his hands, chopped off the top of the orange, and threatened the messenger that his head could be chopped off just like that for bringing this 'heresy!' No, the Truth never appeals to blind fanatics! However, Paul Verghese wasn't intimidated. He persisted and negotiated an end to the rebellion against the governor.
Intimidation never worked with Thirumeni. He would always fight against a threat and would never consider running away from it in cowardice. I remember once when a priest in the American parish mentioned to him that Thirumeni had enemies in America, and that his life could be in danger, Thirumeni snapped back, "I will go anywhere I want to. God will protect me". Fear was an emotion absolutely alien to him.
Restlessness and rebellion continued to brew in Ethiopia. General Mangitsu led the military in rebellion against the weakening government of the Emperor. Thirumeni said that Henry Kissinger had assured the Emperor that His Majesty's life would be safe. Trusting the United States' promise Hailie Sellassie surrendered and lived as a prisoner in his own Palace.
Thirumeni was allowed to visit Hailie Sellassie in the Palace, the last foreign visitor to see him. Hailie Sellassie acted as though he was still in charge as the Emperor. He called his secretary, gave her orders, dictated letters, and so on. She was only Mangitsu's spy! The Prisoner Hailie Sellassie sat on the chair of the Emperor Hailie Sellassie, and talked to Thirumeni, still with the dignity His Majesty was used to.
At the end Thirumeni asked, "After all this, Your Majesty, do you still believe in God?"
Hailie Sellassie could not hold on to his facade anymore. He burst into tears and said, "That is all I have left now."
Face to face with the Ultimate Truth!
A few days later the Ethiopian Government made the official announcement that Emperor Hailie Sellassie died in his sleep.
With tears brimming in his eyes, Thirumeni said, "They poisoned him!"
(Years later it was found out that that they had choked him to death with a pillow.)
Thirumeni looked distraught. He couldn't continue his story. As we sat there stunned, he stood up and staggered away to his room.
I have seen him in tears only one other time. After suffering from a heart attack, I was placed in the intensive care unit in Edward Hospital, Naperville. He came into my room, sat quietly near me, and with tears in his eyes said, "I never thought I would see you this way."
<Continued in Part II>
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