The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is one of the 22 Eastern (Oriental) Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome. It is the second largest Eastern Catholic Church after the Ukrainian Church and the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian (Nazrani) denominations with 4.6 million believers. It is a sui juris Church governed by the Synod of Bishops headed by the Major Archbishop. The Syro-Malabar Church, with its deep-rooted spirituality and high rate of vocations to priesthood and religious life, can be considered as the most vibrant Catholic community in the world.
The St. Thomas Christians (Nazranis)
The Syro-Malabar Church is an Apostolic Church which traces its origin to the St. Thomas, the Apostle, who landed at Cranganore (Muziris) in 52 AD and founded seven Christian communities in Kerala, at Palayur, Cranganore, Kokkamangalam, Kottakavu (Parur), Quilon, Niranam, and Chayal. St. Thomas was martyred in A.D. 72 at Mylapore, near Chennai/Madras. The early Christian community in India was known as St. Thomas Christians. They were also called Nazranis, meaning those who follow the path of Jesus of Nazareth.
The East Syrian (Chaldean) Connection
From early centuries, the Church of St. Thomas Christians came into contact with the East Syrian Church, which also traces its origin to Apostle Thomas. From the 4th century until the end of the 16th century Thomas Christians were governed by Bishops who were appointed and sent by the Patriarch of the East Syrian Church. The Thomas Christians developed a unique system of ecclesiastical administration with the Bishops from Persia in charge of liturgical and spiritual matters and the local Archdeacon of All India (A priest) heading the Christian community and handling the administration of the Church through Palliyogam (early form of Synod).Thus the Thomas Christians shared the liturgical, theological, spiritual and other ecclesiastical traditions with the East Syrian Church; in socio-cultural organization and practices, however, they were distinctively Indian.
The Arrival of Portuguese and the Influence of the Latin Church
The arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th Century marks a new era in the life of the Thomas Christians. East Syrian Bishops stopped coming. Archdeacon lost his position and Latin Prelates exercised full authority over ecclesiastical administration for almost three centuries. This paved way for the latinization of liturgy and ecclesiastical administration. Following the Coonan Cross oath in 1653 and the introduction of the Padroado (the Portuguese jurisdiction under the Propaganda Congregation) in 1661, the Thomas Christians got divided into two groups, of which the group who resisted Latin rule formed a separate community under the Archdeacon. Later they accepted the West Syrian theological and liturgical tradition of the West Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch and came to be known as the Jacobite Church. They were further divided into several independent Churches. The group that remained faithful to Rome came to be known as Syro-Malabar Church, a name which became a common epithet only in the nineteenth century. It literally means Syrian Christians of the Malabar Coast (Kerala).
The Syro-Malabar Church
In 1886 the Padroado jurisdiction over the whole Malabar (Kerala) was suppressed and in 1887 Pope Leo XIII re-organized the Syro-Malabar Catholics into two independent Vicariates of Kottayam and Trissur. Finally, the Syro-Malabar Church obtained bishops of their own rites and nationality in 1896, when they were further reorganized into three vicariates of Trissur, Changanacherry and Ernakulam by Pope Leo XIII through his Brief Quae rei Sacrae. Later, the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy was established on December 21, 1923, by the Apostolic Constitution Romani Pontifices of Pope Pius XI (Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 16 [1924], pp. 257-262), with Ernakulam as the Metropolitan See and Trichur, Changanacherry and Kottayam (established in 1911 for the Southists) as suffragans. In 1956 Changanacherry was raised to the status of a Metropolitan See, with Pala as a suffragan diocese.
The restoration of the hierarchy initiated a process of liturgical reform that sought to restore the oriental identity of the Latinized Syro-Malabar rite, which was approved by Pius XII in 1957 and introduced in 1962. In subsequent years several new dioceses were established both within and outside Kerala. From 1962, the Church began to set up mission centers in Northern India, which later became dioceses. Last 40 years have been a period of steady growth for the Syro-Malabar Church.
The Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Church
On December 16, 1992, Pope John Paul II, by the Apostolic Constitution Quae maiori (Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 85[1993], pp. 398-399), raised the Syro-Malabar Church to the status of Major Archiepiscopal sui iuris Church with the title of Ernakulam-Angamaly. Mar Antony Paidyara, the then Metropolitan of Ernakulam was appointed its First Major Archbishop with Mar Abraham Kattumana as the Pontifical Delegate who discharged the duties of the Major Archbishop. Archbishop Kattumana died unexpectedly during his visit to Rome in April 1995 and Mar Padiyara was given the powers of the Major Archbishop. In November 1996 Cardinal Padiyara resigned from his office as Major Archbishop. In his place Archbishop Varkey Vithayathil, C.Ss.R. was appointed as the Apostolic Administrator. In December 1998 he was appointed Major Archbishop by the Pope. In February 2001 Archbishop Vithayathil was created a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II. In 2004, the Holy See granted full administrative powers to the Syro-Malabar Church, including the power to elect bishops.
Major Archbishop Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil passed away on Arpil 1, 2011. On 24 May 2011 Mar George Alencherry was elected Major Archbishop. Pope Benedict XVI confirmed the election on 25 May 2011. He is the first head of the Syro-Malabar Church to be elected by its Synod. On February 18, 2012 Major Archbishop George Alencherry was made Cardinal and a member of the Consistory.
The Syro-Malabar Church Today
Today the Syro-Malabar Church is the second largest Eastern Church in Catholic communion and constitutes the largest group of St. Thomas Christians. The other two Catholic Churches in India are the Latin Church and the Syro-Malankara Church.
At present there are five Archdioceses - Ernakulam-Angamaly, Changanacherry, Trichur, Tellicherry and Kottayam and 13 eparchies - Bhadravathi, Belthangady, Irinjalakuda, Kanjirapally, Kothamangalam, Idukki, Mananthavady, Mandya, Palai, Palghat, Ramanathaapuram, Thamarassery, and Thuckalay within the canonical territory of the Major Archiepiscopal Church and 12 eparchies outside, of which Adilabad, Bijnor, Chanda, Gorakhpur, Jagdalpur, Kalyan, Rajkot, Sagar, Satna, and Ujjain in India are with exclusive jurisdiction and Kalyan and Faridabad in India and the St. Thomas Eparchy of Chicago in the United States of America enjoy personal jurisdiction.. There are altogether 4018204 (4 million) Syro-Malabarians within the 30 Syro-Malabar Eparchies and approximately 5,85,900 members live as migrants outside any Syro-Malabar Eparchy. There are 47 Bishops, 8547 priests (3,556 diocesan and 4,991 religious), and 32,114 women religious and 1214 major seminarians. Many Bishops, priests, religious and laity of the Syro-Malabar Church are present all over the world and share in missionary and pastoral life of the sister Churches.
The Syro-Malabar Church is very actively involved in educational, social and health-related fields. The Syro-Malabar Church runs 4860 educational, 262 ecclesiastical and 2614 health and charitable institutions. The corporate contribution of the of the Syro-Malabar Church to nation-building is inestimable.
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St. Thomas visited Kerala and introduced Christianity .After St. Thomas other missionaries from Persia came to Kerala and converted many people.. The early converts in Kerala belonging to different grades in society on the basis of occupation were commonly called Christians But the name Christian was changed to Nasrani when the Arabs (Moplahs) came to Kerala. Muslims used the word Nasrani in a contemptuous and derogatory manner. Christians and Jews were hated by Muslims in the Middle East and so they used the word 'Nasrani' in a derogatory and spiteful manner, as the Greeks called others 'barbarians.' Muslims quote the Koran to call Christians and Jews as 'Nasranis.'
This is the basis of the verse. " Jews say: 'Uzair is the son of God' and the Christians say: 'The Messiah, son of God'. Such is their saying with their mouths; they imitate the infidels saying earlier. Allah has cursed them, how are they to turn? "(Surat al-Tawbah: 30) By this interpretation, Muslims regard Christians and Jews infidels and collectively call them ‘Nasrani.’
Even today all Christians are contemptuously called Nasranis in the Middle East by the Arabs. In Kerala also, after the Arabs gave the derogatory name 'Nasranis' to Christians, Brahmins and Nairs also used that word in a derogatory and insulting manner till the arrival of colonial powers. Vrahnins and Nairs made Christians work as coolies, agricultural labourers in their farmlands and compulsory service called ‘oozhiyam.’ The true economic and social condition of the Christians who were ridiculously called Nasranis was recorded by a missionary when European powers were slowly establishing their authority; Abbe J.A. Dubois, a missionary in Mysore, in his letter dated August 7, 1815, writes: “The Jesuits, on their first arrival in India, hearing of them, in one way or other converted the greatest part to the Catholic faith. Their liturgy is to this day in the Syrian language, and in the performance of their religious ceremonies they use this ancient dead tongue. There remains still among them large congregations, consisting of 70 or 80,000 Christians, of whom two-thirds are Catholics, and a third Nestorians. They are all designated under the contemptuous name of Nazarany, and held by the pagans in still greater contempt than the Christians of this part of the country. The Nairs chiefly keep them at a greatest distance, and they form a separate caste.”
When the Portuguese and the British educated these hapless Christians and appointed them as soldiers, businessmen and planters, Christians ascended to top position in the fields of education, business, plantations, and commerce making Brahmins and Nairs inferiors. Gradually the contemptuous name Nasrani was given up and the words, ‘Christians’ and ‘Syrian Christians’ became common usage. But in Arab countries Christians are even today called in a vulgar form, ‘Nasranis.” In a recent riot in Cairo, the Huffington Post dated August 17, 2013 reported an incident
“Naguib’s home supplies store on a main commercial street in the provincial capital, also called Minya, was torched this week and the flames consumed everything inside.
"A neighbor called me and said the store was on fire. When I arrived, three extremists with knifes approached me menacingly when they realized I was the owner," recounted Naguib. His father and brother pleaded with the men to spare him. Luckily, he said, someone shouted that a Christian boy was filming the proceedings using his cell phone, so the crowd rushed toward the boy shouting "Nusrani, Nusrani," the Quranic word for Christians which has become a derogatory way of referring to them in today's Egypt.”
St. Thomas visited Kerala and introduced Christianity .After St. Thomas other missionaries from Persia came to Kerala and converted many people.. The early converts in Kerala belonging to different grades in society on the basis of occupation were commonly called Christians But the name Christian was changed to Nasrani when the Arabs (Moplahs) came to Kerala. Muslims used the word Nasrani in a contemptuous and derogatory manner. Christians and Jews were hated by Muslims in the Middle East and so they used the word 'Nasrani' in a derogatory and spiteful manner, as the Greeks called others 'barbarians.' Muslims quote the Koran to call Christians and Jews as 'Nasranis.'
This is the basis of the verse. " Jews say: 'Uzair is the son of God' and the Christians say: 'The Messiah, son of God'. Such is their saying with their mouths; they imitate the infidels saying earlier. Allah has cursed them, how are they to turn? "(Surat al-Tawbah: 30) By this interpretation, Muslims regard Christians and Jews infidels and collectively call them ‘Nasrani.’
Even today all Christians are contemptuously called Nasranis in the Middle East by the Arabs. In Kerala also, after the Arabs gave the derogatory name 'Nasranis' to Christians, Brahmins and Nairs also used that word in a derogatory and insulting manner till the arrival of colonial powers. Vrahnins and Nairs made Christians work as coolies, agricultural labourers in their farmlands and compulsory service called ‘oozhiyam.’ The true economic and social condition of the Christians who were ridiculously called Nasranis was recorded by a missionary when European powers were slowly establishing their authority; Abbe J.A. Dubois, a missionary in Mysore, in his letter dated August 7, 1815, writes: “The Jesuits, on their first arrival in India, hearing of them, in one way or other converted the greatest part to the Catholic faith. Their liturgy is to this day in the Syrian language, and in the performance of their religious ceremonies they use this ancient dead tongue. There remains still among them large congregations, consisting of 70 or 80,000 Christians, of whom two-thirds are Catholics, and a third Nestorians. They are all designated under the contemptuous name of Nazarany, and held by the pagans in still greater contempt than the Christians of this part of the country. The Nairs chiefly keep them at a greatest distance, and they form a separate caste.”
(to be continued)
(Continued from previous post)
When the Portuguese and the British educated these hapless Christians and appointed them as soldiers, businessmen and planters, Christians ascended to top position in the fields of education, business, plantations, and commerce making Brahmins and Nairs inferiors. The Portuguese were in Kerala for 150 years and during this period there was widespread inter racial marriage between Portuguese and local Hindus. Albuquerque officially encouraged such marriages to increase Christian population. Later the offspring of such marriages married local Christians which eventually led to change in skin color and personality. Gradually the contemptuous name Nasrani was given up and the words, ‘Christians’ and ‘Syrian Christians’ became common usage. But in Arab countries Christians are even today called in a vulgar form, ‘Nasranis.” In a recent riot in Cairo when Muslim fanatics attacked Christians, the Huffington Post dated August 17, 2013 reported the following incident
“Naguib’s home supplies store on a main commercial street in the provincial capital, also called Minya, was torched this week and the flames consumed everything inside.
"A neighbor called me and said the store was on fire. When I arrived, three extremists with knifes approached me menacingly when they realized I was the owner," recounted Naguib. His father and brother pleaded with the men to spare him. Luckily, he said, someone shouted that a Christian boy was filming the proceedings using his cell phone, so the crowd rushed toward the boy shouting "Nusrani, Nusrani," the Quranic word for Christians which has become a derogatory way of referring to them in today's Egypt.”
The usage of the word 'Nasrani' itself is proof for the fact that the Syrian Christians of Kerala descended from 'Mediterranean Christian traders', as the term Nasrani was largely used by both the Jews and the Muslims in referring to the Christians of the levant. Though the Arabs used it with a derogatory meaning, the name gradually became the 'normal' name for the Syrian Christian caste!
The Syrian Christians were tradesmen who were greatly favored by the Hindu rulers for their expertise in trade and commerce. From Sthaanu ravi Varman's issuing of the Tarissapally Cheppedu in the 9nth century, to the relocation of many Syrian families to Thrissur by Sakthan Thampuran in the late 18nth century, there are many examples for the high privileges the Syrians enjoyed under the local rulers. Many Syrian churches in the inlands were built on the 'tax free' land donated by the rulers of the region, as testified by the authentic documents maintained by old Syrian churches and also some royal families. So there's absolutely no question of the Syrian Christians being converts from the low castes or being a 'labour class' as falsely alleged by Pattom Radhakrishnan. Instead, the Syrians were treated as a 'clean caste' by the Hindus, and they were, in many places, placed equal to the Nairs in the caste hierarchy, though Non hindus were technically excluded from the caste system. The Syrians used the Pulayas, Parayas and the Ezhavas for labour in their fields, and this trend continues up to this day! And today, many Nairs also work under Syrian Christian landlords as caretakers, superintendents and laborers, especially in the Kottayam-Pala-Kanjirapally area!
No Portuguese intermarried local Hindus and mixed with the Syrian Christian caste, as there's absolutely no proof for such cases. This is part of a cheap Hindu conspiracy to defame the rich heritage of the Syrian Christians. The so called 'Caste' Hindus should not forget their own history of 'Sambandhams' that produced generations of fatherless beings who were yet proud of their 'rich' heritage! The Syrian Christians were a strictly endogamous lot, who took great pride in their tradition and heritage. They hated the Portuguese for their interference with the Syrian Christian affairs, and there's absolutely no question of the Nasranis mingling with the Portuguese. Pattom should know that the Syrians instead revolted against the Portuguese missionaries in 1653 (Coonen Kurish oath) and vowed to never obey them.
The Syrians were never educated by the Portuguese. The Potuguese didn't even set up schools/educational institutions anywhere in Kerala. They were only interested in trade and commerce. Since the Syrian Christians were already established as expert traders of spices and timber, the Portuguese tried to exercise dominance over them in order to expand their trading empire. They used their Padroado missionaries for this purpose, and historic events like the 'Synod of Diamper' (1599) are examples for that.
The British were the first ones to set up educational institutions in the state, where both the Syrian Christians and the Nairs were provided education. The British later appointed people from these to communities as administrative officers, judges, teachers, engineers, doctors etc. So, the Hindus (Nairs) were equally favored by the British as the Syrian Christians in the field of education, if not more! So no Hindu has the right to speak a word about the 'educational opportunities' that the Syrian Christians availed under the British!
The occupation of Kerala by the Portuguese for 150 years and their open partiality to the local Syrian Christians is the real reason for the claim of superior caste and race status (Nambudhiri and Jew/Assyrian ) by Syrian Christians. Till then they were an oppressed community without any social or economic status. The Persian missionaries who came periodically, as in the case of Ceylon and China, did not marry local converts. All converts who followed foreign religions were called by the natives as Mappillais (Christians and Jews) and Moplahs (Muslims), probably they could easily be made husbands (mappillai) for local women. Vasco da Gama came to Kerala in 1498. All Portuguese ships brought with them priests. Churches were established by the Portuguese in all their settlememts. Those churches were attended by native Christians also , called by the Portuguese Syrian Christians because of the Syriac liturgy used by them. The Syrian Christians submiitedd before Vasco da Gama in 1502 and the Coonen Cross episode took place only in 1653. So the Syrian Christians lived in cordial relationship with the Portuguese for more than 100 years. The Franciscans were the first Roman Catholic priests to arrive in Kerala, and , though, they detected Nestorian heresies lurking in the liturgy and books of the Syrian Church, they taught them genuine Christian theology. All Syrian Christians attended Latinized Catholic church. Young Syrians were given training in a seminary which the Portuguese founded at Kodungalloor. The Portuguese colleges set up by the Franciscans at Kodungalloor and the Jesuits at Vaippicotta and Kochi served as a springboard to make heretical Nestorian Syrians to become active Catholics. These colleges taught Syrians Latin and Portuguese and in this way they represent the beginning of the literary status that Syrians acquired which made them culturally superior to Nambudhiris and Nairs. This also gave them a passage to foreign countries. Albuqurque encouraged Portuguese soldiers, officials and other workers in the ships and factories to marry local Christians and Hindus which gave good physical features and color to the offsprings. They were given equal rights with the whites in the municipality created by them in Fort Kochi. They were also given high military and civil posts, and some were even ennobled. Appointment of Syrians as army and police officers instantaneously elevated them above Nambudhiris and Nairs, for they could not only control them but even arrest them. They had power even to shoot them, for the Kochi Raja was completly under the Portuguese conrol. Even the crown of Kochi Raja was brought from Portugal. Syrian Christians were elevated to the staus of a military brigade like the Nair warriors of the Kochi Raja. This is the reason for the claim of superior status, although in Hindu caste hierarchy they are lower castes even today and they are not allowed to enter temples. But in rural areas and distant forest regions Syrian Christians were not an elite class as in Kochi and urban regions and they were leading an ordinary life of peasants and agricultural farmers without any upper caste status.
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