Archdiocese of Verapoly

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The Indian Catholic archdiocese of Verapoly (Verapolitana) is located on the Malabar Coast. It became a metropolitan see in 1886; its suffragans are the diocese of Calicut, diocese of Cochin, diocese of Kannur, diocese of Kottapuram, and diocese of Vijayapuram.^[1] Verapoly is now officially named Varapuzha.

1 History
2 Succession of Vicars Apostolic (all Carmelites)
3 Notes
4 External links

[edit] History

This district was occupied in the first instance by a large community of Christians claiming to have been converted by Thomas the Apostle, and using a Syrian Rite. These were brought under the jurisdiction of the Portuguese after the Synod of Diamper in 1599, and ruled by Jesuit archbishops at Angamalé, and afterwards at Cranganore. After a few years, there arose a factional dispute which led to a revolt of practically the whole community. Carmelite missionaries were sent by Alexander VI in 1637 to bring about a reconciliation between the people and the Jesuits; but failing this they managed at least to bring the majority of them into ecclesiastical unity under their own rule. Thereupon the Carmelites (under Propaganda) were placed in full charge of the Syrian Christians, while those of the Latin Rite, who had been converted by Portuguese missionaries, were attached to the Diocese of Cochin. When the Dutch in 1663 drove the Portuguese out of Cochin, the Carmelites extended their care to the Latin Christians in Dutch territory. After 1700 the See of Cranganore acquired once more the allegiance of a certain portion of the Syrian Christians -- the rest, with the Latin Christians, remaining under the Carmelite Vicar Apostolic of Verapoly or Malabar. During this time the lines between the two jurisdictions were practically indefinite, and the faithful passed freely from one side to the other. In more recent times the vicar Apostolic had, besides Malabar, active centres along the coast northwards up to Portuguese limits, including Mangalore and Carwar; and there was a free interchange of missionaries between the Malabar and the Bombay vicariates. In 1838 by the Brief Multa praeclare jurisdiction was totally withdrawn from the Portuguese Sees of Cochin and Cranganore, though in many places the Portuguese clergy still remained in possession and maintained their claims to jurisdiction as derived from Goa.

The Vicariate of Verapoly, which extended indefinitely even as far as Tanjore, was curtailed by dividing of the Vicariate of Quilon in 1845, and the Vicariate of Mangalore in 183. Further retrenchments occurred when the hierarchy was established in 1886. By this act Verapoly was made into an archbishopric; Quilon became a suffragan bishopric; the padroado Diocese of Cochin was restored, but with limits much smaller than formerly; the next year the Syrian Christians were assigned to two new vicars Apostolic of the Latin Rite at Kottayam and Trichur, who thus took the place of the suppressed See of Cranganore; and only Latin Christians in the remaining territory were left to form the Archdiocese of Verapoly.^[2]

[edit] Succession of Vicars Apostolic (all Carmelites)

Joseph a Sta. Maria de Sebastiani 1656 (1661), retired before the Dutch in 1663;
Alexander de Campo, 1663-1678;
Thomas de Castro, 1675-1684;
Raphael de Figuredo Salgado, 1681, retired on account of quarrels in 1694;
Angelus Francis of St. Teresa, 1700, was in 1709 entitled "Vicar Apostolic of Cranganore and Cochin" on account of long vacancy of those sees, died 1712;
John Baptist Multedo of St. Teresa, 1714-1750;
Florence of Jesus of Nazareth, 1750-1773;
Francis de Sales a Matre Dolorosa, 1774-1787;
John Mary of St. Thomas, 1780 (died before consecration);
John Mary of Jesus, 1784 (death not marked);
Raymond of St. Joseph, 1803-1816;
Miles Prendergast, 1819, resigned 1831;
Francis Xavier Pescetto of St. Anne, 1831-1844;
Ludovico Nartini of St. Teresa, 1839, resigned 1859;
Bernardino Baccinelli of St. Teresa, 1847 (1859), 1868, received archiepiscopal rank;
Leonardo Mellano of St. Louis, 1868, received archiepiscopal rank 1860, became first Archbishop of Verapoly in 1887, died 1897;
Bernard of Jesus, present archbishop from 1897.^[3]