Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
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The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is a Major Archepiscopal sui iuris Eastern Rite Roman Catholic Church in communion with the Roman Catholic Church, with historical links to the Syrian Catholic Church. It is one of several groups of Saint Thomas Christians tracing their origins to St. Thomas the Apostle who came to India in AD 52 according to tradition.
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[edit] History
The church was formed when two bishops, a priest, a deacon, and a layman of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church left the church and joined in communion with the Bishop of Rome on September 20, 1930. Soon after, two more bishops from the rival Orthodox jurisdiction and one from the Independent Thozhiyoor church also joined. The new church grew quickly, being organized as a sui iuris metropolitan church by Pope Pius XI in 1932, consisting of an archdiocese and a suffragan diocese in Kerala, India. The church reported over 400,000 members in 2006, organized into a major archdiocese, an archdiocese, and three suffragan dioceses.
On February 10, 2005, the Archdiocese of Trivandrum was elevated by Pope John Paul II to a Major Archdiocese, elevating the Archbishop to Major Archbishop (called Catholicos by Syro-Malankara Catholics). As a major archiepiscopal church, the Syro-Malankaras are granted the greatest level of self-government under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, governed by the major archbishop and the general synod of all bishops of the church, subject to papal oversight.
[edit] Administration
Cyril Mar Baselious is the current Major Archbishop (Catholicos) of the Church. He is based in Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), Kerala, India. Archbishop Baselious was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Trivandrum and head of the church in 1995 by Pope John Paul II, and was elevated to Major Archbishop when the church was raised to the dignity of a major archepiscopal church. Archbishop Baselious has also twice served as President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India.
[edit] Dioceses
- Archdiocese of Trivandrum
- Diocese of Bathery
- Diocese of Tiruvalla
- Diocese of Marthandom
- Diocese of Muvattupuzha
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
- Syro-Malankara Catholic Church website, retrieved January 11, 2006
- "Archdiocese of Trivandrum (Malankarese)", Catholic-Hierarchy.Org, retrieved January 11, 2006
- Ronald Robertson, CSP; The Eastern Christian Churches: A Brief Survey (6th Edition); Edizioni Orientalia Christiana, Pontifico Instituto Orientale; Rome, Italy; 1999; ISBN 88-7210-321-5
