Division among St. Thomas
Christians
After the “Coonan Cross
Oath ” St. Thomas Christian
community was split into two
groups. The oath had in itself
nothing against their
allegiance with Rome or any
going away from the authority
of the Pope. This is very
evident from the division
which followed the oath. Those
who remained faithful to Rome,
even in spite of their
protests against them, the
Jesuit prelates, continued
under the rule of the Latin
bishops. But those who did not
remain under Rome acted
differently. Twelve priests at
the instigation of one of them
imposed hands on the
Archdeacon Thomas and made him
Archbishop Mar Thomas I. When
he did not get the support he
expected, he brought a
Jacobite bishop, Mar Gregory,
from the West Syrian Church of
Antioch, to receive Episcopal
consecration from him. But
this did not happen. He
instead made them renounce the
Roman Papacy and brought them
under the Antiochian
non-Catholic Church. They were
known as Puthenkuttukar (the
new Party).This is the origin
of the Orthodox Church in
India. Later Protestant
missionaries also came to
India. Through them there
arose other non-Catholic
Churches in India. The
majority among the St. Thomas
Christians remained Catholics.
This is a very important
factor as far as the St.
Thomas Christians are
concerned. The Coonan Cross
Oath did bring them into any
schism. There was tension
among the St. Thomas
Christians who wanted to keep
the true faith. However they
did not want to be under the
Padroado. |
