| Part ofa series on |
| Eastern Christianity |
|---|
 |
Mainstream communions |
Independent communions |
|
TheSyro-Malabar Church, also known as theSyro-Malabar Catholic Church,[a] (Syriac - ܥܸܕܬܵܐ ܕܡܲܠܲܒܵܪ ܣܘܼܪܝܵܝܵܐ,Tamil - சீரோ மலைவார சபை,Malayalam - സീറോ മലബാർ സഭ) is anEastern Catholic church based inKerala, India. It is asui iuris (autonomous)particular church infull communion with theHoly See and the worldwideCatholic Church, with self-governance under theCode of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO).[16][17][18] Themajor archbishop presides over the entire church. The incumbentMajor Archbishop isRaphael Thattil, serving since January 2024.[19] It is the largestSyriac Christian church and the largest Eastern Catholic church.[20]Syro-Malabar is aprefix reflecting the church's use of theEast Syriac liturgy and origins inMalabar (modern Kerala and parts ofTamil Nadu). The name has been in usage in officialVatican documents since the nineteenth century.[21]
The Syro-Malabar Church is primarily based in India; with five metropolitanarcheparchies and ten suffragan eparchies in Kerala, there are 17 eparchies in other parts of India, and four eparchies outside India. The Syro-Malabar Synod of Bishops canonically convoked and presided over by the major archbishop constitutes the supreme authority of the church. TheMajor Archiepiscopal Curia of the church is based inKakkanad,Kochi.[22] It is the largest amongSaint Thomas Christians communities, with a population of 2.35 million inKerala as per the 2011 Kerala state census[15] and 4.53 million worldwide as estimated in the 2023Annuario Pontificio. It is the second largestsui juris church within the communion of the Catholic Church after theLatin Church.[23]
The Syro-Malabar Church traces its origins toThomas the Apostle's evangelization efforts in 1st-century AD India.[24][25][26][27] The earliest recorded organised Christian presence in India dates to the 4th century, whenPersian missionaries of the East Syriac Rite tradition, members of what later became theChurch of the East, established themselves in modern-day Kerala andSri Lanka.[28][29][30][31] The Church of the East shared communion with theRoman Imperial Church, withinNicene Christianity, until theCouncil of Ephesus in the 5th century, separating primarily overdifferences inChristology and for political reasons. The Syro-Malabar Church uses a variant of the East Syriac Rite, which dates back to 3rd centuryEdessa,Upper Mesopotamia.[32] As such it is a part ofSyriac Christianity byliturgy and heritage.[33]
After theschism of 1552, a portion of the Church of the East entered communion with theHoly See of Rome, forming what became the modern-dayChaldean Catholic Church. Throughout the later half of the 16th century, the Malabar Church was under Chaldean Catholic jurisdiction as theArchdiocese of Angamaly. Through theSynod of Diamper of 1599, the Chaldean jurisdiction was abolished and the Malabar Church was reorganized as theArchdiocese of Cranganore and made subject to thePadroado Latin CatholicPrimatal Archbishopric of Goa. In 1653, after a half-century of administration of thePadroado missionaries, the local Christians revolted and took theCoonan Cross Oath. In response,Pope Alexander VII, with the help ofCarmelite missionaries, was by 1662 able to reconcile the majority of dissidents with the Latin Catholic Church under BishopParambil Chandy, the nativeApostolic vicar of Malabar.[34][35] During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Archdiocese of Cranganore remained under the Syro-Malabar, but it was later suppressed and integrated into the modern day LatinArchdiocese of Verapoly.
After more than two centuries under the hegemony of the Latin Church, in 1887Pope Leo XIII fully emancipated the Syro-Malabars, though the Archdiocese of Verapoly remained as the jurisdiction for Latin Catholics. He established twoApostolic Vicariates for Syro-Malabar,Thrissur andChanganassery (originally named Kottayam), and in 1896, the Vicariate ofErnakulam was erected as well, governed by indigenous Syro-Malabar bishops. In 1923, the Syro-Malabar hierarchy was organized and unified underErnakulam as the Metropolitan See, withAugustine Kandathil as the first head and archbishop.[36] As such, the Syro-Malabar Church became an autonomoussui iuris Eastern Catholic Church.[37]
The Syro-Malabars are unique among Catholics in theirinculturation with traditionalIndian customs through Saint Thomas Christian heritage. The Saint Thomas Christian community has been described as "Indian in culture, Christian in faith and Syriac in liturgy".[38][39] The Church is predominantly of theMalayali ethnic group who speakMalayalam, although there are a minority ofTamils,Telugus, andNorth Indians from the various eparchies outside Kerala. Followingemigration of the Church's members,eparchies have been established in other parts of India and in other countries to serve especially the diaspora living in theWestern world. There are four eparchies outside of India, located in English-speaking countries:Australia,Canada, theUnited Kingdom, andUnited States.Saint Alphonsa is the Church's first canonized saint, followed bySaint Kuriakose Chavara,Saint Euphrasia, andSaint Mariam Thresia. The Syro-Malabar Church is one of the two Eastern Catholic Churches in India, the other being theSyro-Malankara Catholic Church, which represents the faction of thePuthenkoor that returned to full communion with the Holy See in 1930.[40]
It is believed that the Saint Thomas Christians in Malabar came into contact with the PersianChurch of the East in the middle of the 4th century. Saint Thomas Christians looked to Catholicos-Patriarch of the Church of the East for ecclesiastical authority.[41] Although the bishops from the Middle East were the spiritual rulers of the Church, the general administration of the Church of Kerala was governed by the indigenous Archdeacon.[42] The Archdeacon was the head of Saint Thomas Christians.[43] Even when there were more than one foreign bishop, there was only one Archdeacon for the entire community.[43]
The Church of the EastPatriarchShemon VII Ishoyahb's unpopularity led to theschism of 1552, due to the patriarchal succession being hereditary, normally from uncle to nephew. Opponents appointed the monkShimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa as a rival patriarch. Sulaqa's subsequent consecration byPope Julius III (1550–1555) saw a permanent split in the Church of the East; and the reunion withCatholic Church resulted in the formation of the modern-dayChaldean Catholic Church ofIraq.[44][45]
Thus, parallel to the "traditionalist" (often referred as Nestorian) Patriarchate of the East, the "Chaldean" Patriarchate in communion with Rome came into existence. Following the schism, both traditionalist and Chaldean factions began sending their bishops to Malabar.Abraham of Angamaly was one among them. He first came to India in 1556 from the traditionalist patriarchate. Deposed from his position in 1558, he was taken to Lisbon by the Portuguese, escaped at Mozambique and left for his mother church in Mesopotamia, entered into communion with the Chaldean patriarchate and Rome in 1565, received his episcopal ordination again from the Latin patriarch of Venice as arranged by thePope Pius IV (1559–1565) in Rome. Subsequently,Abraham was appointed by Pope as Archbishop ofAngamaly, with letters to the Archbishop of Goa and the Bishop of Cochin.[46]
In 1597, Abraham of Angamaly died. The CatholicPortuguese padroadoArchbishop of Goa,Aleixo de Menezes, downgraded the Angamaly Archdiocese into a suffragan diocese of theArchdiocese of Goa and appointed theJesuitFrancisco Ros as Bishop of Angamaly. Menezes held theSynod of Diamper in 1599 to bring the Saint Thomas Christians under the complete authority of theLatin Church.[34]
The oppressive rule of the Portuguese padroado eventually led to a revolt in 1653, known as theCoonan Cross Oath.[47] The Thomas Christians including their native priests assembled in the church of Our Lady atMattancherry nearCochin, formally stood before a crucifix and lighted candles and solemnly swore an oath upon the Gospel that they never again accept another European prelate.[48][49] The exact wording used in Coonan Cross Oath is disputed. There are various versions about the wording of oath, one version being that the oath was directed against the Portuguese, another that it was directed against Jesuits, yet another version that it was directed against the authority of Latin Catholics.[50]
After the Coonan Cross Oath, the leaders of Saint Thomas Christians assembled atEdappally, where four senior priestsAnjilimoottil Itty Thommen Kathanar of Kallisseri,Palliveettil Chandy Kathanar of Kuravilangad,Kadavil Chandy Kathanar of Kaduthuruthy and Vengoor Geevarghese Kathanar of Angamaly were appointed as advisors of the Archdeacon. On 22 May 1653, at a general meeting held inAlangad, twelve priests laid hands on Archdeacon Thoma, proclaiming him bishop.[51] After the consecration of Thoma I, The information about this consecration was then communicated to all the churches. The vast majority of churches accepted Thoma I as their bishop.[52]
At this point of time, Portuguese authorities requested direct intervention of Rome and hence Pope sent Carmelite Missionaries in two groups from thePropagation of the Faith to Malabar headed by Fr. Sebastiani and Fr. Hyacinth. Fr. Sebastiani arrived first in 1655 and began to speak directly with theThoma I. Fr. Sebastiani, with the help of Portuguese, gained the support of many, especially with the support ofPalliveettil Chandy,Kadavil Chandy Kathanar and Vengoor Geevarghese Kathanar. These were the three of the four counselors of Thoma I, who had defected with Francisco Garcia Mendes, Archbishop ofCranganore, before the arrival of Sebastaini, according to Jesuit reports.[49]
The Carmelite missionaries succeeded in convincing a group of St.Thomas Christians that the consecration of Archdeacon as bishop was not legitimate andThoma I started losing his followers. In the meantime, Sebastiani returned to Rome and was ordained as bishop by Pope on 15 December 1659. Between 1661 and 1662, out of the 116 churches, the Carmelites claimed 84 churches, leaving the native archdeaconThoma I with 32 churches. The 84 churches and their congregations were the body from which the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church has descended.[53]
The other 32 churches and their congregations represented the nucleus from which theJacobite Syrian Christian Church (Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church), theMalankara Orthodox Syrian Church, theMalabar Independent Syrian Church, theMarthoma Syrian Church, and theSyro-Malankara Catholic Church have originated.[53] In 1663, with the conquest of Cochin by theDutch, the control of the Portuguese on the Malabar coast was lost. The Dutch declared that all the Portuguese missionaries had to leave Kerala. Before leaving Kerala, on 1 February 1663 Sebastiani consecratedPalliveettil Chandy as the Metran of the Catholic St. Thomas Christians.[citation needed]
Thoma I, meanwhile sent requests to various Oriental Churches to receive canonical consecration as bishop. In 1665Gregorios Abdal Jaleel, a bishop sent by theSyriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, arrived in India. The independent group under the leadership ofThoma I which resisted the authority of the Portuguese padroado welcomed him.[54] Abdal Jaleel consecrated Thoma I canonically as a bishop and regularised his episcopal succession. This led to the first lasting formal schism in the Saint Thomas Christian community.[55]
Thereafter, the faction affiliated with the Catholic Church under Bishop Palliveettil Chandy came to be known asPazhayakuttukar (or "Old Allegiance"), and the branch affiliated with Thoma I came to be known asPuthenkūttukār (or "New Allegiance"). They were also known asJacobite Syrians[56] and they organized themselves as independentMalankara Church.[55] The visits of prelates from theSyriac Orthodox Church of Antioch continued since then and this led to gradual replacement of the East Syriac Rite liturgy with theWest Syriac Rite and thePuthenkūttukār affiliated to theMiaphysite Christology of theOriental Orthodox Communion.[citation needed]
ThePazhayakuttukar faction remained in communion with the Catholic and preserved the traditional East Syriac (Persian) liturgy andDyophysite Christology. They were also known asRomo-Syrians[56] orSyrian Catholics. They also used the titleMalankara Church initially.[b] Following the death of Palliveettil Chandy in 1687, the Syrian Catholics of the Malabar coast came under the parallel double jurisdiction of Vicariate Apostolic of Malabar under Roman Catholic Carmelites and Archdiocese of Cranganore under the Padroado. Thus many priests and laymen attempted to persuade the Pope to restore their Chaldean Catholic rite and hierarchy of the local church, and for the appointment of bishops from local priests. To represent their position, Kerala's Syrian CatholicsJoseph Kariattil andParemmakkal Thomma Kathanar went toRome in 1778. While they were in Europe, Kariatty Joseph Kathanar was installed in Portugal as the Archbishop ofKodungalloor Archdiocese.[58]
While journeying home, they stayed inGoa where Kariattil died before he could formally take charge. Before he died, Kariattil appointed Kathanar as the Administrator of Kodungalloor Archdiocese after him. The new administrator ran the affairs of the church, establishing his headquarters atAngamaly. In 1790, the headquarters of the Archdiocese was shifted toVadayar, dodging the invasion ofTippu Sultan. In the last four years of his life, Thomma Kathanar managed church administration from his own parish,Ramapuram.[58]
Angamaly Padiyola, a declaration of thePazhayakūr gave the history of Saint Thomas Christians up to 1787 and advocated for the appointment of a native bishop that adhered to the local traditions.[59]
Latin Catholic Carmelite clergy from Europe served as bishops, and the Church along with the Latin Catholics was under theApostolic Vicariate of Malabar (modern-dayRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly). In 1887, the Holy See established twoApostolic Vicariates,Thrissur andKottayam (later Changanassery) under the guidance of indigenous Syro-Malabar bishops, and named the Church as "The Syro-Malabar Church" to distinguish them from the Latins.[37] The Holy See re-organized the Apostolic Vicariates in 1896 into three Apostolic Vicariates (Thrissur,Ernakulam, andChanganassery). A fourth Apostolic Vicariate (Kottayam) was established in 1911 forKnanaya Catholics.[citation needed]
In 1923,Pope Pius XI (1922–1939) set up a full-fledged Syro-Malabar hierarchy withErnakulam-Angamaly as theMetropolitan See andAugustine Kandathil as the firstHead and Archbishop of the Church. In 1992,Pope John Paul II (1978–2005) raised the Syro-Malabar Church toMajor Archepiscopal rank and appointedCardinal Antony Padiyara of Ernakulam as the firstMajor Archbishop.[60]
The Syro-Malabar Church shares the same liturgy with the Chaldean Catholic Church based in Iraq and the independentAssyrian Church of the East based inIraq, including its archdiocese theChaldean Syrian Church of India. The Syro-Malabar Church is the third-largest particular church (sui juris) in the Catholic Church, after theLatin Church and theUkrainian Greek Catholic Church.[61]
The Catholic Saint Thomas Christians (Pazhayakūttukār) came to be known as the Syro Malabar Catholics from 1932 onwards to differentiate them from the Syro-Malankara Catholics in Kerala. The IndianEast Syriac Catholic hierarchy was restored on 21 December 1923 withAugustine Kandathil as the firstMetropolitan and Head of the Church with the name Syro-Malabar.[62]
In 2021, the Syro Malabar Synod of Bishops announced that the celebration of the Qurbana according to theSecond Vatican Council reform: the liturgy of the word would be celebratedcoram populo, while the rest of the Qurbana would be celebrated facing the altar. After hearing this announcement, many priests of theSyro-Malabar Catholic Major Archeparchy of Ernakulam–Angamaly announced that they would continue their public facing Qurbana.Pope Francis appointedCyril Vasiľ as the Pontifical Delegate andAndrews Thazhath as Apostolic Administrator for the Archdiocese in matters of solving the crisis but was unsuccessful. On 7 December 2023,Pope Francis wrote in a letter toGeorge Alencherry accepting his resignation asMajor Archbishop of Ernakulam–Angamaly. He also accepted the resignation ofAndrews Thazhath as the Apostolic Administrator and appointedBosco Puthur, due to Thazhath being the Archbishop of Trichur and President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India. Pope Francis then made a video message to the people of Ernakulam-Angamaly asking them to only do the Uniform Mass starting Christmas and saying there will be punishment for those who do not. When Christmas came, only 290 Churches of 328 Churches held the Uniform Mass. The Vatican is now currently discussing further action.[63][64][65]
On 9 January 2024,Raphael Thattil was elected as major archbishop by the Syro-Malabar Synod of Bishops. Pope Francis confirmed the election, with Thattil now heading the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.[19]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(April 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
As per theEast Syriac tradition,liturgical day of the Syro-Malabar Church starts at sunset (6 pm). Also the worshiper has to face the East while worshiping. This is not followed after Latinization.[66]
According to the East Syriac (Edessan or Persian) tradition, the following are the seven times of prayer:
The Holy Mass, which is calledHoly Qurbana in East Syriac Aramaic and means "Eucharist", is celebrated in its solemn form on Sundays and special occasions. During the celebration of the Qurbana, priests and deacons put on elaborate vestments which are unique to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. The most solemn form of Holy Mass (Holy Qurbana) isRāsa, literally which means "Mystery".
East Syriacliturgy has threeanaphorae: those ofthe Holy Apostles (Saints MarAddai and MarMari),Mar Theodore Mpašqana, andMar Nestorius. The first is the most popularly and extensively used. The second is used (except when the third is ordered) fromAdvent toPalm Sunday. The third was traditionally used on theEpiphany and the feasts ofSt. John the Baptist and of theGreek Doctors, both of which occur in Epiphany-tide on the Wednesday of the Rogation of the Ninevites, and on Maundy Thursday. The same pro-anaphoral part (Liturgy of the Word) serves for all three.[citation needed]
In the second half of the 20th century, there was a movement for better understanding of the liturgical rites. A restored Eucharistic liturgy, drawing on the original East Syriac sources, was approved byPope Pius XII in 1957, and for the first time on the feast ofSt. Thomas on 3 July 1962 the vernacular,Malayalam, was introduced for the celebration of the Syro-Malabar Qurbana.[67] Currently they celebrate the DivineLiturgy of Addai and Mari and the Anaphora of Theodre in mostly Malayalam, with Syriac and English influences.[citation needed]
Besides theAnaphora of Mar Addai and Mar Mari being used currently in Syro-Malabar liturgy, there are two more anaphorae known as Anaphora of Theodore andAnaphora of Nestorius. That the Anaphora of Theodore which was withdrawn from use after the Synod of Diamper (a large number of churches used it up to 1896) is being used again in the Syro-Malabar Church after 415 years is indeed an important historical reality. In a way the Syro-Malabar church rejected theSynod of Diamper. Pope Pius XII during the process of restoration of the Syro-Malabar Qurbana in 1957 had requested the restoration of the Anaphorae of Theodore and Nestorius.[68]The draft of the Anaphora of Theodore was restored after meticulous study by the Central Liturgical Committee, Liturgical Research Centre, various sub-committees, and the eparchial liturgical commissions. Many changes befitting to the times have been made in the prayers, maintaining maximum fidelity to the original text of the Second Anaphora. It was this text so prepared that was sent to Rome for the recognition of the Apostolic See in accordance with the decision of the Syro-Malabar Synod. The Congregation for the Eastern Churches gave its approval for using this anaphora on an experimental basis for three years on 15 December 2012.[68] After almost 420 years, the Anaphora of Nestorius was used by Syro-Malabar Catholics.[69] The aftermath of the so-called Synod of Diamper was that any texts related to Nestorius were systematically burnt by the Jesuits, who represented and ruled the Latin Church of India in 1599. In a way, the SyroMalabar church rejected the Synod of Diamber (Udayamperoor) by restoring the Anaphora of Theodore and Anaphora of Nestorius.[citation needed]
Liturgical latinisation was furthered in 1896 byLadislaus Zaleski, theApostolic Delegate toIndia, who requested permission to translate theRoman Pontifical intoSyriac. This was the choice of some Malabar prelates, who chose it over theEast Syriac Rite andWest Syriac Ritepontificals. A large number of Syro-Malabarians had schismed and joined with Assyrians at that time and various delayed the approval of this translation, until in 1934Pope Pius XI stated that latinization was to no longer be encouraged.[70] He initiated a process of liturgical reform that sought to restore theoriental nature of the Latinized Syro-Malabar rite.[71]
In 2021, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church adopted a uniformed manner of celebration liturgies, removing the practice of facingversus populum during theLiturgy of Eucharist. Following this, there has been sustained dissent by some clergy and laity in the Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly.[72][73][74][75]
The Syro-Malabar Church has its ownliturgical year, structured around eight liturgical seasons:
The curia of the Syro-Malabar Church began to function in March 1993 at the archbishop's house of Ernakulam-Angamaly. In May 1995, it was shifted to new premises at Mount St. Thomas nearKakkanad,Kochi. The newly constructed curial building was opened in July 1998.
The administration of the Syro-Malabar Church has executive and judicial roles. The major archbishop, officials, various commissions, committees, and the permanent synod form the executive part. The permanent synod and other offices are formed in accordance with theCode of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO). The officials include the chancellor, vice-chancellor, and other officers. Various commissions are appointed by the major archbishop: Liturgy, Pastoral Care of the Migrant and Evangelisation, Particular Law, Catechism, Ecumenism, Catholic Doctrine, Clergy and Institutes of Consecrated Life, and Societies of Apostolic Life.[77]
The members of the commissions are ordinarily bishops, but include priests. For judicial activities there is the major archiepiscopal ordinary tribunal formed in accordance with CCEO which has a statutes and sufficient personnel, with a president as its head. At present, Rev. Dr. Jose Chiramel is the president. The Major archiepiscopal curia functions in the curial building in Kerala, India. They have prepared the particular law for their Church and promulgated it part by part in Synodal News, the official Bulletin of this Church. There are statutes for the permanent synod and for the superior and ordinary tribunals. CCEO c. 122 § 2 is specific in the particular law, that the term of the office shall be five years and the same person shall not be appointed for more than two terms consecutively.[77]
There are 35 eparchies (dioceses). Five of them are archeparchies (each administered by a Metropolitan Archbishop) leading the ecclesiastical provinces of the church at present, all in Kerala: Ernakulam-Angamaly, Changanacherry, Trichur, Tellicherry, and Kottayam. Archeparchy of Kottayam enjoys personal jurisdiction over the Southist (Knanaya) Syro-Malabar catholics whereas the remaining four are with mutually exclusive territories.
These have another 13 suffragan eparchies: Bhadravathi, Belthangady, Irinjalakuda, Kanjirapally, Kothamangalam, Idukki, Mananthavady, Mandya, Palai, Palghat, Ramanathapuram, Thamarassery, and Thuckalay within the existing provinces of the church.
There are 13 further eparchies within the canonical territory of the Major Archiepiscopal Church of which Adilabad, Bijnor, Chanda, Gorakhpur, Jagdalpur, Rajkot, Sagar, Satna, and Ujjain in India are with exclusive jurisdiction within Latin provinces and Kalyan, Faridabad, Hosur and Shamshabad are with personal jurisdiction over Syro-Malabar catholics in India. The St. Thomas Eparchy of Chicago in the United States, St. Thomas the Apostle Eparchy of Melbourne in Australia, Eparchy of Great Britain, and Eparchy of Mississauga, Canada enjoy personal jurisdiction.[24]
Most believers of this church are organized under five metropolitan archeparchies (archdioceses), all in Kerala, and their suffragan eparchies.
.jpg)
The Religious Congregations are divided in the Eastern Catholic Church Law (Code of Canons of the Oriental Churches – CCEO) as Monasteries, Hermitages, Orders, Congregations, Societies of Common Life in the Manner of Religious, Secular Institutes, and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Active are:
Seminaries of the Syro-Malabar Church are under the general supervision of the Roman Congregation for the Eastern Churches and share the Major archbishop as their common Chancellor.[83] Saint Joseph's Seminary in Mangalapuzha, established by Syrian Catholics in 1865, is the oldest of the extant seminaries of the church.[84] However, the Saint Thomas Seminary in Vadavathoor is the first seminary to be established under the Syro-Malabar hierarchy.[85]
| Institutions | # |
|---|---|
| Parishes | 3,224 |
| Quasi-parishes | 539 |
| Missions | 490 |
| Institutes of consecrated life – men & women | 53 |
| Major & minor seminary | 71 |
| Regular, technical & other colleges | 691 |
| Teachers' training institutes | 24 |
| Engineering colleges Higher Secondary & Primary Schools | 29 2,981 |
| Kindergartens | 1,685 |
| Non-formal & adult education | 503 |
| Special schools | 4,021 |
| Health care institutions | 700 |
| Nurse's training schools | 44 |
| Hospitals, dispensaries & health centers Medical colleges | 670 5 |
| Specialized health care centers, incurables & leprosy care centers | 54 |
| Old age homes | 211 |
| Children's homes | 185 |
| Orphanages | 230 |
| Rehabilitation centers and other institutions | 1,616 |
| Total | 13,805 |
| Personnel | |
| Religious sisters | 35,000 |
| Religious brothers | 6,836 |
| Seminarians | 2,907 |
| Diocesan and religious priests | 9,121 |
| Bishops | 56 |
| Major archbishop | 1 |
| Total | 51,097 |
According to the 2023Annuario Pontificio pontifical yearbook, there were about 4,537,342 members in the Syro-Malabar Church making them the largest Eastern Catholic Church.[23][14] According to the 2011 census of India, Syro-Malabar Catholics in Kerala makes up around 2.35 million and thus they are the largest Christian body in the state.[15]
The question of liturgical identity was the main obstacle the newly formed hierarchy had to solve and there was difference of opinion among the bishops about the direction of liturgical reform.[89][90] ThePazhayakoottukar were using a heavily latinised form of the East Syriac liturgy which they had inherited from the period that immediately followed the Synod of Diamper.[91][92] The Carmelite missionaries imposed further latinization in this rite.[93] The opinion of the bishops were divided with some aspiring for a return to genuine East Syriac Rite while others opting for retaining the latinized rite or a new process of inculturation copying theNorth IndianBrahminical rites.[89] In 1934, Rome decided for the re-establishment of the genuine East Syriac rite, and in 1962 the ChaldeanPontifical was reintroduced. But many Latin rite priests and bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church opposed these decisions and identified those who supported the reintroduced liturgy as 'Chaldean traditionalists' (Kaldāyavādikal).[90] The reforms of the2nd Council of Vatican encouraged the recovery of lost Eastern Catholic liturgical traditions and in 1986Pope John Paul II inaugurated the reintroduced liturgy personally in Kottayam, during his visit to India, in an attempt to resolve the confusion in liturgy.[89][90] However following the introduction ofversus populum liturgy in the Latin Rite, those who oppose the reintroduced liturgy began practicing it among themselves. Newer liturgical innovations based on inculturation, such as theBāratīyapūja also emerged during this period. This led to a new conflict within the Syro-Malabar hierarchy.[94] In response, the unauthorised liturgical forms were strictly forbidden by Rome.[95] However the differences in the direction of the priest during the liturgy, namelyad orientem andversus populum, continued. Following the elevation of the Syro-Malabar Church to major archiepiscopal rank in 1992, the church initiated discussions on the resolution of differences and in 1999, they decided on a uniform mode of liturgical practice combining both styles.[96] However this was met with widespread protests among the clergy and many bishops temporarily paused its implementation. In 2020, the church leadership resumed this process and implemented it in all eparchies except the Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, where it continue to face fierce protests by the local clergy which demands completeversus populum liturgy.[97]
Once Mar Thoma I had been consecrated and joined to the Patriarchate of Antioch, Mar Gregorios himself stayed on in Malabar as joint ruler over the newly formedJacoba Malankara Church. This joint rule, lasting twenty years (when they both died), made permanent the 'vertical' split between Malabar Christians linked to Rome and Malankara Christians linked to Antioch (in Mardin). Those of the 'new allegiance', known as Puthankuttukar, were led by metrans who looked to the Jacoba Patriarch of Antioch in Mardin. Those of the 'old allegiance', known as Pazhayakuttukar, looked to Rome.
The community of the St Thomas Christians was now divided into two: one group known as the 'old party'joined in communion with theWestern Church and in obedience to the Pope whose authority they recognized in thearchbishop of Goa. The 'new party' (Puttankuttukar) stayed withMar Thoma and eventually came under the influence of and entered into communion with theWest Syrian Church of Antioch
His followers became known as the 'new party' (Puthankuttukar), as distinct from the 'old party' (Pazhayakuttukar), the name by which the Catholic party became known.
those who rejected the Latin rite were known as the New Party, which later became the Jacobite Church
India's ancient Christians looked to the Assyrian Church of the East (often disparaged as "Nestorian" by Western or Roman Catholic Christians, who associated it with the anathematized bishop Nestorius) and its catholicos (or patriarch) for ecclesiastical authority
Although India was supplied with bishops from the Middle East, the effective control lay in the hands of the indigenous Archdeacon.
Documents address him as the Jathikku Karthavyan [the head of the caste], that is, the head of the Thomas Christians.....even when there were more than one foreign bishop, there was only one Archdeacon for entire St.Thomas Community..
....and Abraham succeeded also in obtaining his nomination and creation as Archbishop Angamale from the pope, with letters to the Archbishop of Goa, and to the Bishop Cochin dated 27 Feb 1565.
In 1653 anti-Catholic kattanars met at Koonen ("Crooked") Cross, a granite monument at Mattancheri. There they swore an oath to never again accept another farangi (European) prelate and installed their own high metran
There are various versions about the wording of swearing, one version being that it was directed against the Portuguese, another that it was directed against Jesuits, yet another that it was directed against the authority of church of Rome.
At the end of a period of twenty years, it was found that about two – thirds of the people had remained within the Roman allegiance; one – third stood by the archdeacon and had organized themselves as the independent Malankara Church, faithful to the old Eastern traditions and hostile to all the Roman claims.
This incident marks an epoch in the history of the Syrian Church, and led to a separation of the community into parties, namely the Pazhayakuru (the Romo-Syrians) who adhered to the Church of Rome according to the Synod at Diamper; and the Puttankuru, the Jacobite Syrians, who after the oath of the Coonan Cross got Mar Gregory from Antioch, acknowledged the spiritual supremacy thereof. The former owed its foundation to the Archbishop Menezes and the Synod at Diamper in 1599 and its reconciliation after the revolt to the Carmelite Bishop Father Joseph of St.Mary whom the Pope appointed in 1659.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church hierarchy | |
|---|---|
Bold =Archeparchy | |
| Major Archiepiscopal province | |
| Other proper provinces in southern India | |
| Proper Archeparchy without suffragan | |
| Eparchies within Latin provinces in India | |
| Exempt jurisdictions in India | |
| Exempt jurisdictions outside India | |
| Apostolic Visitations |
|
| Patriarchal churches |
|  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major archiepiscopal churches | ||||||
| Metropolitan churches | ||||||
| Othersui iuris churches | ||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
9°58′56″N76°16′35″E / 9.9823°N 76.2763°E /9.9823; 76.2763
