Catholicos

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Catholicos (plural Catholicoi) is a title used by the head/regional head bishop of any of certain Eastern churches. It is derived from the Greek Καθολικος, meaning universal or general.

The title have arisen sometime after the establishment of the five ancient Patriarchs (of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem). It first seems to have been applied to the churches east of the Roman Empre in the Persian, where it is believed to be in the succession of Apostle Thomas. According to Bar Hebraeus Apostle Thomas is the first in the succession in the East. However the historical evidences point to the fact that the office of the Catholicos of the East was founded in the early 5th century when the Persian Church declared its autonomy. Thus the Catholicos of the East became the head of the Persian church.

Catholicates of the Assyrian Church of East

Towards the end of the 5th century a Christolgy based on the teachings of Nestor split the Persian Church with one section forming an autocepahlous Catholicate of the East (which later came to be known as Patriarchate) and another section retaining its ancient ties with the Patriarchate of Antioch. The Church organised under the autocepahlous Catholicate came to be known as Assyrian Church with its flock mainly in Iraq and diaspora. At present there are two Catholicates or Patriarchates in the Assyrian Church of the East.

Catholicate/Maphryonite of the Syrian Orthodox Church

The historic office of the canonical Catholicate of the East of the Syrian Church within the Antiochean Patriarchate came to be later known as Maphryono (Anglicized as Maphrian; meaning Fructifier) in Syriac after the division in the Church of the East due to Nestorian schism. Historically, the Maphryono ranks second in hierarchy of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church after the Patriarch of Antioch. Atleast seven of the Maphryonos have later been elevated as the Supreme head of the Syrian Church in the Apostolic See of St. Peter as the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East. This historic office of 'Maphryono' came to an end in a council of all the Syrian Orthodox Metropolitans presided over by the then Patriarch of Antioch and all the East in 1861. In 1912 when a dispute erupted in the Indian church, one section of the Church in India declared the revival of this office and thus starts the new history of the Catholicate in India. By the middle of the 20th century both the Orthoodox Churches in India have separate Catholicates with one section declaring itself as autocepahlous while the other remaining under the Syriac Orthodox.

Catholicates of the Armenian, Georgian and Albanian Orthodox Churches

Likewise, the heads of other major churches outside of the Roman Empire also bore the title Catholicos. The title is used in the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is one of the Oriental Orthodox churches. His Holiness, the Catholicos of All Armenians presides over the Supreme Spiritual Council (the Armenian Church's governing college of bishops), and is the head of the world's 7 million Armenian Apostolic Christians. It is also used in the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church, whose head carries the title Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia and in the Armenian Catholic Church (in communion with Rome), whose head carries the title Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia. Historically, the title was also used by the chief bishop of Caucasian Albania.

Catholicates in the Indian Church

Catholicate of the Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Church

H.H. Mar Baselios Mar Thoma Didymus I is currently the legal and canonical Catholicose of the East and Malankara Metropolitan (supported by the Supreme Court of India) of the Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Syrian Church. The Catholicos presides over the Holy Episcopal Synod (the college of bishops) and is vested with the prime jurisdiction regarding the temporal, ecclesiastical and spiritual administration of the Indian Orthodox church. The Malankara Orthodox Church holds the view that it was the pre-Nestorian Catholicate, with its autocephalous rank, that was revived in the East for the Orthodox in the 6th century by Mar Yakub Burdana and relocated to India in 1912. Church's tradition holds that it was a part of the ancient succession in the East which begins with Apostle Thomas.

Catholicate of the Syrian (Jacobite) Orthodox Church

H.B. Aboon Mor Baselios Thomas I is presently the canonical Catholicos & the head of the Syrian Orthodox (Jacobite) Christains in India. The Catholicos Baselios Thomas I is also the Metropolitan Trustee of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Association, a representative body of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church. H.B. presides over the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Universal Syrian Church in India. The Catholicos of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church, who is also sometimes referred as Maphryono, ranks second to the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East in hierarchy of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church.

Catholicate of the Syro-Malankra Catholic Church

The title of Catholicos has been taken by other sects of Syriac Churches in India as well. The head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, is often styled Catholicos, but is now legally a Major Archbishop.