The Catholicate of the

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

Evolution and Autonomy of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

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Meaning and Origin of the Title 'Catholicos'

   The word 'Catholicos' means "the general head" or "general bishop". It can be considered equivalent to "universal Bishop". This title and rank are much more ancient than the title Patriarch in the Church.

 

Development of Hierarchical Titles in the Early Church

   In the ministry of the early Church, there were only three ranks, namely, Episcopos (Bishop), Priest and Deacon. However, by the end of the third century or by the beginning of the fourth century, certain bishops of certain important cities or provincial capitals in the Roman empire gained pre-eminence over other bishops, and they came to be known as Metropolitans. The Ecumenical councils of the fourth century recognized the authority of these Metropolitans.

 

   By the fifth century, the Bishops in major cities like Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch etc., gained control over the churches in the surrounding cities. Gradually they became the heads of each independent regional Church and were called Patriarch, which means 'common father'. The same rank in the Churches outside the Roman Empire was called Catholicos. There were three ancient Catholicates in the Church before the fifth century. They were the Catholicate of the East (Persia), the Catholicate of Armenia and the Catholicate of Georgia. None of these ranks and titles is the monopoly of any church. Any Apostolic and national church has the authority to declare and call its head, Catholicose, Pope, or Patriarch.

 

The Apostolic Foundation in India

   Even though the title Catholicose had not existed in India before the 20th century, the idea behind the Catholicate or Patriarchate as the head of a national independent Church was there from the early centuries, and there was a similar native position or authority in the Indian Church. As we say that St. Peter was the first Pope of Rome, and St. Thomas was the first Head or the Catholicos of India. As all other Apostles did, he also established Church in India and made a set up to continue its administration in India. That was the Apostolic authority that existed in India throughout the centuries.

 

Development of Authority in Indian Church

   In India, the position and authority of the Catholicos have been developed in the history of the Church throughout the past centuries. The first stage of the apostolic ministry in the Malankara Church was from the time of St. Thomas till the middle of the fourth century when the Church's authority was vested in the hands of the Archdeacon. The second stage is the period of the reign of the Archdeacons, which started from the middle of the fourth century and lasted till the sixteenth century. Finally, the third stage started when the Archdeacon was elevated to the position of a Bishop by the community with the name Marthoma I in 1653. Since then, the head of the community was the Marthoma Metrans; the position was developed to Malankara Metropolitan with more recognition.

 

   When in a religious turmoil, the Patriarch of Antioch interfered and suspended the Malankara Metropolitan, demanding complete surrender; in 1912, the Church consecrated the senior Metropolitan as the Catholicos and head of the Church. In 1934, through the meeting of the Malankara Association, the authority and powers of the Malankara Metropolitan were entrusted to the Catholicos. Thus both the spiritual and temporal authorities of the Church were vested in one person, the Catholicos and Malankara Metropolitan. The development of authority in that direction was completed in the Church.

 

The Archdeacons

   In India, St. Thomas founded the church and appointed prelates to continue apostolic ministry in the Church. It is believed that the prelates were appointed from ancient families: Pakalomattom, Sankarapuri, Kalli, and Kaliankal. Gradually the Pakalomattom family gained prominence in the ministry, and chief prelates of the community were hailed from that family.

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   During the reign of Marthoma VIII, the Metropolitan of the community in the early 19th century, the Madras government once asked him for a review of the history of the Malankara church and gave him seventeen questions to answer. On the 20th of April 1812, he answered all the questions. The last question was about the position and authority of the Malankara Metropolitan in the Church. In his answer, he said that from 335 AD to 1308 years, i.e. till the Coonan cross oath, the Church was ruled by the Archdeacons of the Pakalomattom family. He also said that after the coming of the Portuguese, the Church had six Metrans and one Metropolitan beside him. The Metran or Malankara Metropolitan of the community was the continuation of the apostolic authority in the Malankara Church. Our historical evidence says that in the early time, the title of the head of the community was Archdeacon. Sometimes the title was known as the Archdeacon of whole Indian.

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   The native language was usually called Jathikku Karthavyan. The Archdeacon of the community was the unquestioned social and political leader, and he got even local soldiers under his command to protect himself and the community's interests. The Archdeacon was the unquestioned leader of the community when the Portuguese arrived in Malabar in the 16th century.

 

Challenges from Portuguese and Coonan Cross Oath

   The Portuguese tried to bring the Archdeacon under their control. Through the Synod of Udayamperur (1599), they tried their best to control the Archdeacon and brought him under the authority of the Roman Archbishop for a short period. The community revolted against this through the Coonan cross oath of 1653.

 

The Archdeacon as Bishop

   After the Coonan cross oath, the Church ordained the Archdeacon as a bishop with the name Mar Thoma I. This ordination of the Archdeacon as a bishop was a significant turning point in the history of the development of authority in the Malankara Church. All the powers of the century-old Archdeacon, with some more spiritual authority, were given to the Archdeacon when he was elevated to the position of a bishop.

 

   The Marthoma Metrans continued in succession till the early 19th century with the names Mar Thoma I, II, etc., till Mar Thoma VIII. Moreover, they ruled the Church from 1653 to 1816. The spiritual, as well as administrative authority of the community, was vested in the Mar Thoma Metrans during this period.

 

Malankara Metropolitan

   In 1816 Pulikottil Joseph Mar Dionysius became a bishop, and he got an approval letter known as the Royal Proclamation from the Travancore government to function as the Metropolitan of the community. From now onwards, the head of the Church came to be known as Malankara Metropolitan. The position of the Malankara Metropolitan in the 19th century is a growth from the position of the Marthoma Metrans. The power and authority of the Malankara Metropolitan got more recognition than the Archdeacons and Marthoma Metrans because of some political changes in the country through the establishment of British rule.

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   From 1816, Dionysius II, Dionysius III, Dionysius IV, Mar Athanasios and Dionysius were the Malankara Metropolitans in the 19th century. Among these, Mar Athanasios and Mar Dionysius V exercised enormous spiritual and temporal powers inside and outside the community. Mar Dionysius V was the Malankara Metropolitan at the Synod of Mulanthuruthy (1876).

 

The Synod of Mulanthuruthy and Patriarchal Interference

   However, during the latter half of the 19th century, a split occurred in the community because of the works of the CMS missionaries and the reformation they supported. This invited a closer interference of the Patriarch of Antioch.

 

   The Church invited the Patriarch to come over to India to get over the difficulties caused by the reformation and to support Mar Dionysius V against the reformers. The Patriarch Peter III of Antioch came here in 1875. Instead of healing the division in the community, the Patriarch tried to use the situation to establish his authority in the Church by suppressing the authority of the Malankara Metropolitan. He firmly stood with Mar Dionysius and called the Synod of Mulanthuruthy.

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   The Patriarch presided over the Synod, directed its proceedings, and took some decisions justifying the actions of the Patriarch in the Malankara Church. After the Synod, he divided the Church into seven dioceses and consecrated six new bishops to rule each diocese. Through these actions, the Patriarch was trying to reduce the authorities of the Malankara Metropolitan.

 

Patriarchal Interference and Legal Conflicts

   After the Synod, the Patriarch reduced the Malankara Metropolitan to the status of merely one bishop among others, contrary to the historical development of the position in the Church. The Malankara community, who valued the autonomy of their Church, resisted this undermining of authority. This resulted in a prolonged legal battle between the faction supporting the Patriarch and the one supporting the independence of the Malankara Church. The litigation was centered around the rights and authority of the Malankara Metropolitan, particularly control over Church properties and administrative power.

 

Establishment of the Catholicate in India (1912)

   To reclaim the full autonomy of the Church, the Malankara Church invited Patriarch Abdul Messiah, who had been canonically dethroned by a controversial Synod. In 1912, he came to India and re-established the Catholicate in the Church, consecrating Murimattathil Mar Ivanios as Catholicos Baselios Paulose I. This marked the beginning of the Catholicate in India.

 

   This step was a continuation of the apostolic and indigenous authority of the Malankara Church, which was always self-administered historically. The re-establishment of the Catholicate was not the creation of a new title but the revival of a position consistent with the Church's ancient and autonomous heritage.

 

Consolidation of Authority: 1934 Constitution

   In 1934, the Malankara Association, a representative body of the Church, formulated and adopted a constitution. According to this constitution, the Catholicos is also the Malankara Metropolitan, thus combining both the spiritual and temporal heads of the Church in one person. This formalized the structure that had naturally developed through centuries of evolution in Church governance.

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The Constitution clarified that:

• The Catholicos is the head of the Holy Synod and the chief celebrant in the Church.

• The Malankara Metropolitan is the legal and administrative head of the Church.

• Both roles are now vested in a single person, ensuring unity and clear leadership.

 

Significance of the Catholicate Today

   Today, the Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan leads the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, which is autocephalous (self-headed) and apostolic. The Church preserves the heritage handed down from St. Thomas the Apostle and maintains communion with other Oriental Orthodox Churches.

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   The Catholicate in India is not a break from tradition, but a culmination of centuries of ecclesiastical growth, rooted in:

• Apostolic foundation by St. Thomas,

• Centuries of leadership by Archdeacons and later Metropolitans,

• Indigenous autonomy,

• And formal canonical establishment through the Church’s synodical and legal developments.