Attempts for Reunion
There were numerous
attempts to re-establish the
communion, but without
immediate results. Two of St.
Thomas Christians, Fr. Joseph
Kariattil and Fr, Thomas
Paremackal went to Rome in the
second half of the eighteenth
century, to receive permission
to accept the dissident group
into Catholic Communion. Fr.
Kariattil was ordained
Archbishop of St. Thomas
Christians and also got
permission to receive the
dissident group with their
bishop to the Catholic
Communion. It is strange that
he was asked to change his
rite from Oriental to the
Latin. Unfortunately he died
in Goa on his way back to
Kerala. In 1930 a group of
those who had accepted the
Antiochean non-Catholic
tradition, under the
leadership of Mar Ivanios
re-established communion with
Rome. This group was accepted
by the Pope as a separate
Catholic Church, namely, the
Syro-Malankara Church.
Establishment of the
Syro-Malabar Hierarchy
In 1923 the Syro-Malabar
Hierarchy was established and
the first three apostolic
vicariates were made dioceses
and the diocese of Ernakulam
was made Archdiocese .The
energy with which the Syro-Malabar
Church thrived under the
indigenous bishops is
phenomenal. Establishment of
the Dioceses under the Syro-
Malabar Hierarchy:
1896 :Vicariate Apostolic
of Ernakulam (Archdiocese of
Ernakulam -Angamaly)
1896 :Vicariate Apostolic of
Trichur (Archdiocese of
Trichur)
1896 :Viacariate Apostolic of
Cheganacherry (Archdiocese of
Chenganacherry)
1911 :Vicariate apostolic of
Kottayam
1950 :Diocese of Palai
1953 :Diocese of Tellicherry
(Archdiocese)
1956 :Diocese of Kothamangalam
1973 :Diocese of Mananthavady
1973 :Diocese of Palakkad
1977 :Diocese of Kanjirapilly
1978 :Diocese of Irinjalakuda
1986 :Diocese of Thamarasserry
1996 :Diocese of Thakalay
1999 :Diocese of Belthangady
2003 :Diocese of Idukkey
Extra-territorial
Eparchies
The progress of the Syro-Malabar
Church under the indigenous
bishops was extra ordinary.
The All India jurisdiction of
the St. Thomas Church was not
restored to them. They were
also denied the right to
evangelize outside Kerala. It
was only in 1962 the first
Syro-Malabar Mission was
erected by Pope John XIII. In
1968 Pope.27 28 Paul VI
established three more
exarchates. Today we have nine
eparchies in the mission areas
1962 :Diocese of Chanda
1968 :Diocese of Sagar
1968 :Diocese of Satna
1968 :Diocese of Ujjain
1972 :Diocese of Bijnor
1972 :Diocese of Jagdalpur
1977 :Diocese of Rajkot
1984 :Diocese of Gorakpur
2000 :Diocese of Adilabad
These dioceses are not
under the existing Syro-
Malabar Archdioceses, but
under the nearest Latin
Archdiocese. This is again an
anomaly. |
