Syro Malankara Catholic

The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is an Antiochian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal sui iuris Eastern Catholic Church in communion with the Roman Catholic Church, with historical links to the Syrian Catholic Church. It is one of several groups of Saint Thomas Christians tracing their origins to St. Thomas the Apostle who came to India in AD 52 according to tradition.The Church was formed in an attempt to preserve what was perceived to be a threat to the autonomy of the Malankara Church from Antioch. In 1926, Mar Ivanios - a metropolitan bishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church and founder of Bethany Ashram - was missioned by the Malankara Holy Synod to find another Apostolic Church to seek Communion. Mar Ivanios knew of the history of Syro-Malabar Church and submitted an agreement to the Vatican to retain all of the Church's rites, Liturgy, and autonomy. Fours years later Rome accepted each of these, only asking for a Profession of Faith and proof of valid Episcopal ordination. Two bishops ( Mar Ivanios and Mar Theophilos), a priest (Fr. John Kuzhinapurath OIC), a deacon (Deacon Alexander OIC), and a layman (Mr. Chacko Kilileth )of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church joined in Full communion with the Bishop of Rome on September 20, 1930. Soon after, two more bishops from the rival Orthodox jurisdiction and one from the Independent Thozhiyoor church also joined. The new church grew quickly, being organized as a sui iuris metropolitan church by Pope Pius XI in 1932, consisting of an archdiocese and a suffragan diocese in Kerala, India. The church reported over 500,000 members in 2006, organized into a major archdiocese, an archdiocese, and four suffragan dioces.
On February 10, 2005, the Archdiocese of Trivandrum was elevated by Pope John Paul II to a Major Archdiocese, elevating the Archbishop to Major Archbishop (called Catholicos by Syro-Malankara Catholics). As a major archiepiscopal church, the Syro-Malankaras are granted the greatest level of self-government (autonomy) under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, governed by the major archbishop and the general synod of all bishops of the church, subject to papal oversight.

The current Major Archbishop and Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is Moran mor Baselios Cleemis (Thottunkal), who was elected by the Holy Synod as the successor of the late Moran Mor Cyril Baselious on 8th February 2007, and was confirmed by Pope Benedict XVI on 10th February 2007. His Beatitude was installed on 05 March 2007.

The first Archbishop of the Malankara Catholic Church, Geevarghese Mar Ivanios, Panickerveettil was declared Servant of God on 14th July 2007 in a solemn liturgy at St. Mary's Major Archiepiscopal Church, Trivandrum by His beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Clemis.

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