History of the Syro-Malabar Church

The Syro-Malabar Church traces its origin to the missionary works of St Thomas the Apostle who landed on the Malabar Coast in AD 52. Thus, it is clear that the Church has a long tradition and originated at the same time as did the first Christian thought.

St Thomas Christians are the Christians rooted on Indian soil, and the Syro-Malabar Church is the church that took root on Indian soil. Most of the Syro-Malabar Catholics live in Kerala, the cradle of Christianity in India.

The history of the Syro-Malabar Church is a long story of struggle, hope, and faith. The gift that Apostle Thomas gave has survived century after century, and today forms the epitome of rich traditions and unflinching Christian faith.

Let us first be briefly acquainted with the Roman Catholic Church, Indian Catholics, and Indian Christianity before learning about the beginnings of the Syro-Malabar Church and its growth to its present size and status.

Syro-Malabar Church & the Church of Rome

The Catholic Church is the communion of 22 individual or sui juris Churches. There is one Latin Church, and there are 21 Oriental Churches (also called Eastern Churches).

All these 21 Oriental or Eastern Catholic Churches are in full communion with the Vatican (the Pope) and the Church of Rome or the Roman Catholic Church, forming the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

Indian Catholics

India is blessed with three individual Catholic churches: The Syro-Malabar Church and the Syro-Malankara Church (both Oriental churches or Eastern Rite churches), and the Latin Church.

The Syro-Malabar Church and the Syro-Malankara Church follow the Oriental tradition; The Syro-Malabar Church follows the East Syrian (Chaldean) tradition and the Syro-Malankara Church follows the West Syrian (Antiochian) tradition.

Obviously, Kerala also has the above three individual Catholic churches.

Today, out of a total Christian population of about 25 million, Indian Catholics number about 18 million.

Christianity in India

Christianity arrived in India with the missionary efforts of Apostle Thomas who is believed to have landed at Kodungallur on the Malabar Coast in AD 52, where the apostle established many Christian communities. These Christians, known as St Thomas Christians, are the Christians who took root on Indian soil. St Thomas Christians have been carrying this rich and ancient tradition over the last 20 centuries.

In AD 345, a group of Christians under the leadership of a Persian trader namely Thomas of Cana settled in the southern part of Kodungallur, which is now Kottayam. They came to be known as Knanaya Catholics.

The colonial concept of territorial jurisdiction was unknown to the Indian Church until the arrival of Western missionaries. The Eastern approach is one of personal jurisdiction.

Portuguese sea captain and explorer Vasco da Gama landed in Calicut (Kozhikkode) in 1498. Tension began with the arrival of Western missionaries who accused St Thomas Christians of Nestorianism. In 1599, the archbishop of Goa Aleixo de Meneses convened a synod at Udayamperror, a place about 16 km south of Ernakulam enroute to Kottayam. This synod, known as the Synod of Diamper (Synod of Udayamperoor or Udayamperoor Soonahados) brought the St Thomas Christians under the Latin jurisdiction.

Although this synod criticized many of the customs of the St Thomas Christians, this synod formally reunited them with the Catholic Church.

Formation of the Syro-Malabar Church

Indian Christians were not very happy with the Latin jurisdiction and they revolted against the Latin rule. On January 3, 1653, Christians, under the leadership of Thomas Parambil, assembled at Our Lady of Life church, Mattanchery, and pledged that "we will no longer be under the Jesuits." This event is known as the Coonan Cross Oath.

On 22 May, 1653, Thomas Parambil was declared the bishop (Mar Thoma I) at Alangad. It caused a division in the church and with this we have the introduction of the Jacobite church in India.

Those who continued to be under the Latin jurisdiction remained in the Catholic Church.

In 1831, Fr Kuriakose Elias Chavara founded the Congregation of Mother Immaculate (CMI).

Catholics in Kerala continued to be ruled by Carmelites and Jesuits, and had European bishops. In 1896, the church administration was entrusted in the hands of the native bishops.

Thus, St Thomas Christians in India who were under the rule of the Latin bishops from 1600, began to have their own bishops in 1896.

On May 20, 1887, Pope Leo XIII established two Vicariates Apostolic namely Kottayam (areas of today's Changanasserry diocese AND today's Kottayam diocese) and Trichur (areas of today's Trichur diocese AND today's Ernakulam diocese) exclusively for St Thomas Christians, who shortly came to be known as Syro-Malabarese or Syro-Malabar Catholics, and appointed Dr Charles Lavigne (Kottayam) and Dr Adolph Medlycott (Trichur) as Vicars Apostolic.

This marked the beginning of the Syro-Malabar Church.

Growth of the Syro-Malabar Church

In 1896, Pope Leo XIII reorganized the whole territory of the then existing two Vicariates Apostolic of Trichur and Kottayam (named Kottayam but the areas of today's Changanasserry diocese today's Kottayam diocese) and created three Vicariates in their place, Ernakulam being the third. Mar Louis Pazheparampil was appointed as Vicar Apostolic of Ernakulam. Thus, the three bishops for India were: Louis Pazheparambil (Ernakulam), Mathew Makil (named Kottayam, but the areas of today's Changanasserry diocese AND today's Kottayam diocese), and John Menachery (Trichur). All these bishops were indigenous priests.

At this point, the territorial distribution was like this:
Ernakulam - today's Ernakulam
Trichur - today's Trichur
Kottayam - today's Changanasserry plus today's Kottayam

Knanaya Catholics who settled in the present Kottayam area had their own parishes. In 1911, Pope Pius X erected a separate Vicariate Apostolic (diocese) of Kottayam (by renaming already existing Kottayam to Changanasserry) for the Knanaya community within the Syro-Malabar Church, and transferred Mar Mathew Makil, the then Vicar Apostolic (bishop) of Changanacherry (until then Kottayam, just renamed to Changanasserry, present Changanasserry) to this newly established Kottayam diocese.

Thus began the diocese of Kottayam, a separate diocese within the Syro-Malabar Church exclusively for the Knanaya Catholic community.

Mar Thomas Kurialasserry was appointed the Vicar Apostolic of Changanasserry.

On 21 December 1923, the Syro-Malabar Church Hierarchy was established. Ernakulam was raised to the status of an Archdiocese with the dioceses of Trichur, Changanacherry, and Kottayam as its suffragans (subordinates).

The Syro-Malabar Church has recorded phenomenal growth since then.

Note: A group of Jacobites embraced the Catholic faith in 1930, and the hierarchy was established in 1932. They are known as Syro-Malankara Catholics and the church is called the Syro-Malankara Church.

In 1992, the Syro-Malabar church was given the Major Archiepiscopal status.

In 1993, the Vatican granted the Syro-Malabar Church sui juris status or self-governing status, except in making episcopal appointments (that is, except in appointing bishops without the approval of the Vatican).

In the year 2004, the Vatican granted the Syro-Malabar Church autonomy in naming bishops. The synod of the Syro-Malabar Church was accorded full powers in deciding on liturgy and appointing bishops, with the episcopal appointments (bishops) only needing the Vatican's ratification.

Today, the Syro-Malabar Church is the second largest of the 21 Oriental Churches worldwide, second only to the Ukrainian Church. The Syro-Malabar Church is one of the three Major Archiepiscopal Churches, the other two being the Ukrainian Church and the Syro-Malankara Church.