Will the separated Syro-Malabarians come back to their Mother Church?

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There are around 1,00,000 Syro-Malabar faithful living in and around Delhi. However, as a matter of fact, a huge chunk of them are still with the Latin Church.** The Latin Archbishop of Delhi had earlier permitted the Syro-Malabarians to join any rite i.e. Syro-Malabar or Malankara or Latin !** However the Archbishop has now asked the Syro Malabarians to go back to/stay with their mother Church (Syro Malabar Church)**. But it is highly unlikely that this huge chunk would join the Syro Malabar Church. **This brings into light the lack of vision and mission of those who are at the helm of affairs in bringing together all our people.
 
Syro-Malabar bishop tells pope his church is treated unjustly(Apr-7-2011)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Vatican and many of the Latin-rite bishops of India are not treating the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church with justice, and that makes the church look bad, Auxiliary Bishop Bosco Puthur of Ernakulam-Angamaly told Pope Benedict XVI.

While other Christians and other religions enjoy the freedom to build churches and conduct services anywhere in India, the Eastern Catholic churches “are denied it, paradoxically not by the state, but by our own ecclesiastical authorities,” the bishop said.Bishop Puthur, administrator of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, made his remarks to Pope Benedict April 7 at the end of the Syro-Malabar bishops’ “ad limina” visits to the Vatican to report on the status of their dioceses.Generally, the leaders of the Eastern Catholic churches such as the Syro-Malabar church enjoy full freedom to elect bishops and erect dioceses only in their church’s traditional territory; otherwise, the responsibility is left to the pope, often in consultation with the Latin-rite bishops of the region concerned.

In the case of the Syro-Malabar church, Bishop Puthur told Pope Benedict that its **traditional territory was all of India until Latin-rite missionaries arrived in the 15th century. Now any of its faithful living outside Kerala state are subject to the authority of the local Latin-rite bishop.
**
“We are convinced that it is the credibility of the Apostolic See that is at stake if this jurisdictional right is not restored to its pristine status,” the bishop said.Bishop Puthur presented five requests to Pope Benedict: the restoration of “all-India jurisdiction” to the Syro-Malabar Church; permission to establish dioceses throughout India; the establishment of a special jurisdiction for the Persian Gulf states, in order to serve the tens of thousands of Syro-Malabar Catholics from India working in the region; action to improve the pastoral care of Syro-Malabar Catholics in Europe, Australia and other parts of the world.

The Syro-Malabar leader thanked the Latin-rite bishops of the United States and Canada for supporting the appointment in 2001 of a Chicago-based bishop for his church’s faithful in North America.
 
Thank you BVT, for all this info. I am particularly fond of our Christian Brothers in India, and will pray for a return to tradition. Just wondering, what is the difference between the Syro-Malabars and Malankara?
 
BVT said:
The Syro-Malabar leader thanked the Latin-rite bishops of the United States and Canada for supporting the appointment in 2001 of a Chicago-based bishop for his church’s faithful in North America.
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I remember the even quite well. The Archbishop of Chicago had given a suburban parish over as a mission for the growing Syro-Malabar community under his authority. (In truth it was a changed neighborhood, and the local residents were mostly Baptists and Pentecostals so the Latin rite parish closed, but the location was near expressways and therefore ideal for a ‘commuter’ congregation.)

Once the Pope was willing to name a bishop for the USA, the parish property was deeded to the new diocese and it is now a cathedral (remodeled and apparently enlarged).

It was good to see these posts, because it illustrates a fundamental problem which is hardly ever addressed publicly.

The Papal policy of restricting the territory of the EC churches has been very damaging. The only Sui Iuris church out of 23 that is not restricted in this way is the Latin church, there are no Latin rite bishops I am aware of anywhere that are named by an EC church in their home territory. In those places where a Pope has seen fit to erect a diocese for the EC diaspora, he will normally have the right to name the bishop for it thenceforth because it is ‘outside the home territory’ of the EC church.

Two notable results …
1 - Due to lack of support from Latin bishops in many places the migrant community dissolves into the Latin church very quickly (those who dislike this sometimes become Orthodox).
2 - As the members of the EC church migrate out into the wider world, the Pope names more and more of the bishops of that synod, extending his influence on another level. Due to the tumult and violence in some parts of the world, it is actually possible that some synods will become mostly diaspora in the future and may potentially either dissolve into the Latin church or see most of their bishops named by the Pope.
 
John_of_Patmos said:
Thank you BVT, for all this info. I am particularly fond of our Christian Brothers in India, and will pray for a return to tradition. Just wondering, what is the difference between the Syro-Malabars and Malankara?
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Now it is essentially a liturgical difference. One has to understand a little bit of St Thomas Christian church history to see how that happened.

Originally the Saint Thomas Christians belonged to the Church of the East with an East Syrian liturgy.

Then the Portuguese arrived and took political and military control over southern Indian coast, and forced the Christians into a subordinate position in the Latin Catholic church (the concept of Sui Iuris churches was far into the future, there were only different rites in one church under the old system). After a few generations the Indian Christians had had enough of the situation and rebelled, the Papacy reacted by removing the Portuguese Jesuits and replacing them with Italian Carmelites who diligently worked at trying to win back the loyalty of the locals. However a large portion of them refused to return to obedience of the Pope and tried to get bishops from abroad. Since they were prevented from getting a bishop from the Church of the East they eventually turned to the Jacobite patriarchate of Antioch who was able to give them a bishop and sneak him in to the territory.

Thus, the Orthodox were now adapting their liturgy to conform to west Syrian practice. This was similar to but not the same as the liturgy of the Church of the East.

The Syro-Malankara church derives from a small group of this latter church which went under Rome in the 1930’s.
 
Will the separated Syro-Malabarians come back to their Mother Church?
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To paraphrase John Frink, I have visited the future and yes they will.
 
Historically the Prelates of St. Thomas Christians were called Archbishop of India. The titles used for them were** “Metropolitan and Gate of All India ”** or “Gate of India ”. This indicates the highest rank of authority in the Indian Church and the extend of its jurisdiction. He enjoyed an All India Jurisdiction, the Ruler of the entire Holy Church of Christians of India.**The Vatican Codex 22, written in Cranganore in 1301 gives the titles as Metropolitan and the director of the entire holy church of Christian India”.**In the year 1564 Pope Pius IV created Archdiocese of Angamali(With Jurisdiction over all India).In **1600 the Metropolitan status of the see of Angamaly (metropolitan of all India, or Gate of India)was abolished and was made suffragon to Goa, **with far reaching consequences.The news of the reduction of the see of Angamaly from the Metropolitan to a suffragan caused much unrest among the St. Thomas Christians.They lost the title of “ALL INDIA ” which belonged to the prelates of St. Thomas Christians for many centuries.Later the Metropolitan status was restored to the see of Angamaly but never the title “All India ”.In 1896 Syro Malabar Catholic got their own heirarchy but instead of re-establishing the old Jurisdiction over all India,three Apostolic Vicariates were established in Trichur, Ernakulam and Changanassery.
By the second half of twentieth century members of the Syro-Malabar community have emigrated in big numbers to the other parts of India and to foreign countries. According to Vatican II and subsequent documents such as the Oriental and Latin Canon Laws, Catechism of the Catholic Church their pastoral needs have to be taken care by the priests of their own rite and in their own rite. For the pastoral care of the Syro-Malabar Catholics in Bombay, Punai and Nazik and in USA and Canada were established the following dioceses in 1988 Diocese of Kalyan and in 2001 Diocese of Chicago.Besides these two dioceses there are many communities of Syro-Malabarians in many parts of India and in foreign countries. Big cities of India like Delhi, Bangalore, Madras, Calcutta etc. have big numbers of Syro-Malabar Catholics.

The faithful of the Syro-Malabar Church are about four million, of which 3 million and 400 thousand live in the twenty-eight dioceses in India. Of these dioceses, eighteen are in the territory of the Syro-Malabar Church itself (Kerala, part of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka). We have a territorial jurisdiction only in these eighteen dioceses. And we’d like to have a territorial jurisdiction covering the whole territory of India: this is one of our appeals to the Holy Father and for us it is an important request. We believe it is our right. Before the arrival of Western missionaries – the Portuguese arrived in the sixteenth century – the jurisdiction of us ‘Christians of St Thomas’ was extended to all of India. Then the Western missionaries, because of the influence of European monarchs, took jurisdiction of India, restricting ours to the areas where we were more concentrated.
**Interview with H.B Mar George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church by Roberto Rotondo and Gianni Valente
**
 
It is estimated that there are some 2000 priests and 8000 religious sisters of the Syro-Malabar Church who are working in Latin dioceses outside Kerala accepting the Latin Rite. This is the only instance in the whole of history where to preach the Gospel to the Non-Christians one has to abandon one’s own Church.

youtube.com/watch?v=F6HJ5Zck4bI
 
BVT said:
Historically the Prelates of St. Thomas Christians were called Archbishop of India. The titles used for them were** “Metropolitan and Gate of All India ”** or “Gate of India ”. This indicates the highest rank of authority in the Indian Church and the extend of its jurisdiction. He enjoyed an All India Jurisdiction, the Ruler of the entire Holy Church of Christians of India.**The Vatican Codex 22, written in Cranganore in 1301 gives the titles as Metropolitan and the director of the entire holy church of Christian India”.**In the year 1564 Pope Pius IV created Archdiocese of Angamali(With Jurisdiction over all India).In **1600 the Metropolitan status of the see of Angamaly (metropolitan of all India, or Gate of India)was abolished and was made suffragon to Goa, **with far reaching consequences.The news of the reduction of the see of Angamaly from the Metropolitan to a suffragan caused much unrest among the St. Thomas Christians.They lost the title of “ALL INDIA ” which belonged to the prelates of St. Thomas Christians for many centuries.Later the Metropolitan status was restored to the see of Angamaly but never the title “All India ”.In 1896 Syro Malabar Catholic got their own heirarchy but instead of re-establishing the old Jurisdiction over all India,three Apostolic Vicariates were established in Trichur, Ernakulam and Changanassery.
By the second half of twentieth century members of the Syro-Malabar community have emigrated in big numbers to the other parts of India and to foreign countries. According to Vatican II and subsequent documents such as the Oriental and Latin Canon Laws, Catechism of the Catholic Church their pastoral needs have to be taken care by the priests of their own rite and in their own rite. For the pastoral care of the Syro-Malabar Catholics in Bombay, Punai and Nazik and in USA and Canada were established the following dioceses in 1988 Diocese of Kalyan and in 2001 Diocese of Chicago.Besides these two dioceses there are many communities of Syro-Malabarians in many parts of India and in foreign countries. Big cities of India like Delhi, Bangalore, Madras, Calcutta etc. have big numbers of Syro-Malabar Catholics.

The faithful of the Syro-Malabar Church are about four million, of which 3 million and 400 thousand live in the twenty-eight dioceses in India. Of these dioceses, eighteen are in the territory of the Syro-Malabar Church itself (Kerala, part of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka). We have a territorial jurisdiction only in these eighteen dioceses. And we’d like to have a territorial jurisdiction covering the whole territory of India: this is one of our appeals to the Holy Father and for us it is an important request. We believe it is our right. Before the arrival of Western missionaries – the Portuguese arrived in the sixteenth century – the jurisdiction of us ‘Christians of St Thomas’ was extended to all of India. Then the Western missionaries, because of the influence of European monarchs, took jurisdiction of India, restricting ours to the areas where we were more concentrated.
Interview with H.B Mar George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church by Roberto Rotondo and Gianni Valente
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The way to fix this is for the Syro-Malabar church to start erecting dioceses in the rest of India and naming bishops for them without delay. They have this problem because they allow it to happen to them.

Waiting for Rome to do it for them makes as much sense as sitting to watch paint dry.
 
In truth and in spirit, the children of the St Thomas Nazrani Church (Syro-Malabar) of India have not come out of the last vestiges of the shackles of slavery imposed on them by the invading Latin missionaries in the 16th century. The first thing that the missionaries did was to curtail the “all India” jurisdiction of the Nazrani Archbishop and to put him down as a suffragon of the newly created Latin (arch) bishop of Goa. Then, they did the next blow by taking away the vide powers of leadership of the traditional Archdeacon of the Nazranis. Slowly and slowly they restricted the Nazrani Church to a small geographical territory within the central Kerala region. And, they invaded the Nazrani territories of the rest of India and erected Latin dioceses there. All Nazranis who were physically present or traveled outside their newly created territory, automatically, became part of the Latin Church. The large number of the indigenous missionaries who helped the foreigners to spread the Good News to the rest of India was in fact children of the Nazrani Church. At one time, more than 90% of the total missionaries working in various parts of India were in fact children of the Nazrani church. Over many generations, the indoctrination of the Latins was so successful, that a good number of the former children of the Nazranis were convinced of the “superiority” of the invading Romans, and they de facto deserted their mother Church. Now that a new Eastern Canon Law has been reintroduced and much talk takes place about the individuality of the “sui juris” churches, at least some discussion is possible which will hopefully lead to rectification of past injustices and misdeeds. It will be a nice idea if someone who matters will acknowledge that great injustice was done to the St Thomas Nazrani Church of India in the past. With all this subjugation and indoctrination that it has been subjected to, it is indeed surprising that the Syro Malabar Church is able to maintain its vibrancy. May God have mercy. Mar Walah! (My God and my Lord!!)
 
Hesychios said:
The way to fix this is for the Syro-Malabar church to start erecting dioceses in the rest of India and naming bishops for them without delay. They have this problem because they allow it to happen to them.

Waiting for Rome to do it for them makes as much sense as sitting to watch paint dry.
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What’s wrong with sitting to watch paint dry? (Unless you’re painting a chair.)
 
this just goes to show my objection to Rome’s interference in the Ancient Christian Churches. as a Ukranian Catholic who has seen what damage splitting the church into Orthodox and Catholic factions has done and these same divisions in my family.

I read this article and shake my head. we Eastern Catholics should never have been forced/cohered into our respective unions with Rome. real union come from talks between Orthodox and Catholic church leaders not by making pacts with it’s bits and pieces!

Latin Catholics have no real idea what to us with Eastern Catholics, this article shows their lack of direction and lack of concern
 
I wonder how many of them are here in Canada, particularly in the Lower Mainland. There is a sizeable amount of immigrants from India, but I hardly see them in the Catholic parishes. The last RC pastor I had is from Goa, although that region is Roman Catholic thanks to the Portuguese influence.

It would be nice to have Syro-Malabar parishes here.
 
Aussie_ukie said:
this just goes to show my objection to Rome’s interference in the Ancient Christian Churches. as a Ukranian Catholic who has seen what damage splitting the church into Orthodox and Catholic factions has done and these same divisions in my family.

I read this article and shake my head. we Eastern Catholics should never have been forced/cohered into our respective unions with Rome. real union come from talks between Orthodox and Catholic church leaders not by making pacts with it’s bits and pieces!

Latin Catholics have no real idea what to us with Eastern Catholics, this article shows their lack of direction and lack of concern
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Aussie, please know that these sort of actions are really rejected by Rome. These actions that were done by the Latin missionaries were most definitely wrong, even if they believed what they were doing was right.

Rome has the upmost respect and admiration for the Eastern Churches and I believe for the Eastern Churches to come back in union with Rome, we will have to see the things that really unites us. So you must come to understand that Rome does care for the Easten Catholic Churches. Still, I don’t know what you mean by “bits and pieces”. I assume you mean the groups of Orthodox Christians that chose to come back to Rome?

From what I have heard, they came to Rome and not the other way around.
 
ConstantineTG said:
I wonder how many of them are here in Canada, particularly in the Lower Mainland. There is a sizeable amount of immigrants from India, but I hardly see them in the Catholic parishes. The last RC pastor I had is from Goa, although that region is Roman Catholic thanks to the Portuguese influence.

It would be nice to have Syro-Malabar parishes here.
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My first Latin pastor in the Okanagan was actually Syro-Malabar by baptism/confirmation. He is still Bi-ritual. Thoroughly Latin to his very core though - I believe he even went to a Latin seminary as he was ordained to work as a missionary priest in the Latin mission territories of northern India. He is now pastor of the largest parish in Kelowna.
 
twf said:
My first Latin pastor in the Okanagan was actually Syro-Malabar by baptism/confirmation. He is still Bi-ritual. Thoroughly Latin to his very core though - I believe he even went to a Latin seminary as he was ordained to work as a missionary priest in the Latin mission territories of northern India. He is now pastor of the largest parish in Kelowna.
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Interesting. Does he still celebrate in the Syro-Malabar Rite?
 
Art321 said:
Aussie, please know that these sort of actions are really rejected by Rome. These actions that were done by the Latin missionaries were most definitely wrong, even if they believed what they were doing was right.

Rome has the upmost respect and admiration for the Eastern Churches and I believe for the Eastern Churches to come back in union with Rome, we will have to see the things that really unites us. So you must come to understand that Rome does care for the Easten Catholic Churches. Still, I don’t know what you mean by “bits and pieces”. I assume you mean the groups of Orthodox Christians that chose to come back to Rome?

From what I have heard, they came to Rome and not the other way around.
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Then Rome needs to step up and put an end to these kinds of actions. Love is an action, not a feeling.
 
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