Pastoral care of the Syro-Malabar
Catholics Outside the Proper
Territory
Members of the Syro-Malabar
community have emigrated in
big numbers to the other parts
of India and to foreign
countries. Their pastoral
needs have to be taken care by
the priests of their own rite
and in their own rite. Since
Vatican II and subsequent
documents such as the Oriental
and Latin Canon Laws,
Catechism of the Catholic
Church, the teachings of the
Popes in this regard, the
Asian Bishops ’ Synod etc.
recommend it. For the pastoral
care of the Syro-Malabar
Catholics in Bombay, Punai and
Nazik and in USA and Canada
were established the following
dioceses:
1988 :Diocese of Kalyan
2001 :Diocese of Chicago
Besides these two dioceses
there are many communities of
Syro-Malabarians in many parts
of India and in foreign
countries. Big cities of India
like Delhi, Bangalore, Madras,
Calcutta etc. have big numbers
of Syro-Malabar Catholics.
According to both Oriental and
Latin codes of Canon Law the
bishops of the respective
dioceses are to provide for
the pastoral care of the
Syro-Malabarians using the
services of the Syro-Malabar
priests, and if their
spiritual needs require it
,special structures such as
separate parishes, Episcopal
vicars or even dioceses,
should be provided. In the
Archdiocese of Bangalore nine
Syro- Malabar parishes were
erected in recent times. In
the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore
no parish has been erected so
far. But there functions a
pastoral centre serviced by
the Syro-Malabar priests for
the Syro- Malabarians. In the
Archdiocese of Delhi there are
more than thirty centres where
Syro-Malabar liturgical
services are offered by
priests of the Syro-Malabar
rite. But there is yet no
parish erected for them. In no
other diocese in India there
is any provision for the
pastoral care of the Syro-Malabar
Catholics in their own
ecclesial tradition. |
