Mathew Arackal

Bishop Mathew Arackal (born 10 December 1944) is a bishop of the Syro Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Kanjirappally. He is also the chairman of the Syro-Malabar Church Commission for the Laity, and active in issues of the environment and society.

Arackal was born at Erumely, in the Kottayam District of Kerala State, India. He attended school at St. Thomas High School, Erumely and later St. Thomas Minor Seminary, Changanacherry, before going to St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary in Vadavathoor to complete his philosophical and theological studies.

Arackal was ordained to the prieshood on 13 March 1971. During 1971-1974, he served as the Assistant Vicar of Amboori Church, Director of Samaritan Hospital, Amboori and the Estates Manager for the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanassery. In 1974 he was appointed Assistant Procurator of the Archdiocese of Changanacherry. During that time, he helped to establish the first Labour Co-operative Society in Kerala.

When the Eparchy of Kanjirappally was erected in 1977, he was appointed the Vicar of Peermedu and Murinjapuzha. In 1980 he started the Peermedu Development Society (PDS) and served as its Executive Director till 2001. PDS's purpose was to protect the interests of the aboriginal tribes of the Mountain ranges as well as their environment. Arackal was an advocate of organic farming methods and organic food crops. He helped found a Charitable Trust to arrange gainful employment for women. He also established the High Range Medical Centre (HRMC) at Pothupara, Idukki, Sahyadri Ayurvedic Pharmaceuticals at Kuttikanam, two major residential training centres for rural development with research wings and lab facilities in Bio technology and Eco-farming. He aided in the establishment of Marian College.

Arackal was involved in the International Red Cross. He was appointed to serve in various secular offices of the government. He was the Governing Board Member of the Kerala State Continued Education; the Member of the Kerala State Academic Council; the Technical Advisor for the Rajeev Gandhi Water Mission of the Government of India and the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India. He was selected as the Resource Person of CAPART (Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology) of the Government of India, Kerala State Farming Corporation; The Task Force for Participatory Planning; State Council for Education, Research and Training; Watershed Development and Management Evaluation Team. Until 2007, He was the only representative from Asia and Africa to the International Delegate Assembly of Naturland, Germany.

Arackal was appointed Bishop of Kanjirappally by Pope John Paul II on 19 January 2001. He proceeded to establish the Amal Jyothi College of Engineering at Kanjirapally. He piloted the establishment of the Sahyadri Co-operative Bank, the development works at Marian College, Kuttikanam; MMT Hospital Mundakayam and various other schools, infirmaries and institutions. He also continued his work with the Malanadu Development Society and the Peermeade Development Society.

In 2003 Arackal was appointed Advisor to the Planning Commission of India and later in 2010, the Judging Committee Member of the Indira Gandhi Paryavan Puraskar (Environmental Award) constituted by the Government of India

He was the Chairman of Kerala Social Service Forum (KSSF) 2001-2010, an umbrella organisation of the Catholic Social Service organisations in the State of Kerala; Chairman of KCBC Commission for Justice, Peace and Development; Member of the CBCI Commission for Scheduled Caste, Tribes and Backward Classes and the Bishop representative of Functional Vocational Training Forum (FVTF) of the CBCI. In the Media, he previously served as Chairman of the Jeevan Telecasting Corporation Ltd and Chairman of Rashtra Deepika Ltd. Apart from his diocesan duties, he is also heavily involved in the world-wide Church as the Chairman of the Laity Commission.

In 2013 Arackal was in the news as a spokesman for Catholic parishioners in Kanjirapally Syro-Malabar, who were protesting because their livelihood was being threatened by changes in Kerala environmental regulations. He continued to serve as Bishop for this area, and in 2015 he led a group of farmers in a fast to protest low crop prices.