CSI Church, Kuwait

CSI Church, Kuwait

MEMBERSHIP PROCEDURE

Christians of Kerala

On September 14, 1912 a visiting patriarch from Mardin elevated one of the local bishops in the Syrian Church to Catholicos, a position that existed before in Tigris. This event took place at the famous Niranom Church and subsequently led to disputes and litigation between the factions called Orthodox Syrians and Jacobite Syrians of the Syrian Church in Kerala.Several Catholicos followed.

Their names are testament to the Church's eastern connection. The first Catholicos was Baseliose Poulose the I (September 14, 1912 to May 2, 1913) The second was Baseliose Geeverghese I. (April 30, 1925 to December 17, 1928).

During the time of the third Catholicos (Baseliose Geeverghese 3, ( Feb 15, 1929 to January 3, 1964) the positions of 'Malankara Metran' (Head Bishop) and Catholicos were combined. The fourth Catholicos was Baseliose Ougen I (May 12, 1964 to December 8, 1975) and the fifth Baseliose Thomas Mathews I (October 27, 1975 to April 27, 1991). When Mathews Baseliose I retired sixth Catholicos Thomas Mathews II took office on April 29, 1991.

Catholics together constitute about 61.4%, the Syrian Orthodox and Syrian Jacobites together about 21.4%, the Marthoma Syrians about 5.7%, the Church of South India 5.2% and others about 6.3% of Christians in the state. The Syrian Orthodox and Syrian Jacobites are sometimes referred to as Syrian Christians today. All affore mentioned groups together constitute Kerala's Christian population.

During the 1930s one of the leading Bishops of the Syrian Christians, disillusioned by the split between the Catholicos group and the Patriarch group left the Church and moved to the Roman Catholic Church, forming a group called "Reethu". (Malankara Roman Rite) Nearly a hundred thousand people went over to this new rite from the Syrian Orthodox Church.

The two groups of the Syrian Church, namely the Jacobite Syrians and the Orthodox Syrians continued court battles and finally in 1960 the Supreme Court of India ruled putting an end to the litigation. But even after this temporary reunion the division emerged again. Today there are again two divisions, the Orthodox Syrian Christians owing allegiance to the Catholicos of the East and the Jacobites Syrian Christians owing allegiance to the Patriarch of Antioch in Syria. Very recently the Supreme court of India has once again ruled putting an end to legal struggles between those two groups and recognizing the legitimacy of the Catholicos.

Now let us turn to the Roman Catholics- The Roman Catholic Church accepted allegiance to Pope and came to be known as Syrian Roman Catholic. There are Roman Catholics converted by European missionaries known as Latin Roman Catholics. There is also Roman Catholic group mentioned earlier called "Reethu" or the Malankara Syrian Rite. The Roman Catholic Church went through it's own evolutionary struggles after the Portuguese power declined in India. In 1662 the Dutch took over Cochin from the Portuguese. The Portuguese before departing elevated a local priest to bishop and papal representative. He ruled the church from 1662 to 1687.

There was a period of dominance by Carmelite missionaries during the Dutch period. However there was an ongoing struggle for local autonomy in the church. In 1887 the process of liberalization started. Two new dioceses, Kottayam and Trichur started with local autonomy. Three Kerala priests were appointed as bishops In 1896 for the first time, new dioceses in Palai, Kothamangalam, Tallicheri and Manathavadi were started. In 1956 the status of Changanacheri diocese was upgraded. In 1969 the metropolitan of Ernakulam was elevated to Cardinal. For the Catholic Church of Kerala the most momentous occasion was the visit of Pope John Paul II. The Pope visited Kottayam and performed the beatification of a Kerala priest and nun.