Catholicos of the East (Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church)

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Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan are the titles used by the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, which is also called the Indian Orthodox Church, for the same bishop holding two offices of Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan.[1] The term "Catholicos" is derived from the Greek word Katholikos (Καθολικός), meaning "Universal Bishop". His Holiness Baselius Marthoma Mathews III is the present Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan.

History

Founding

Christianity has had a presence in India since its inception in the early centuries. Church tradition holds that St. Thomas the Apostle initially brought Christianity to India in AD 52 and was martyred in Mylapore, now in the modern state of Tamil Nadu.

Modern history

The Church believes that this Catholicate, which is in the succession of Oriental Orthodox Maphrianate of the East, was established to India in 1912 due to the efforts of Ignatius Abdul Masih II, the Patriarch of Antioch and Vattaserill Mar Dionysius, the Malankara Metropolitan. Since the Indian church was under the Ancient Catholicate of Persia, and can be seen as the only remaining part of the Persian church, it is logical for the Catholicate to reside in India.

There have been eight Catholicoi in direct succession since establishing the Catholicate of the East in India. The Catholicos has jurisdiction over the dioceses and churches in most parts of India as well as in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, South Africa, Persian Gulf nations, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

As of 2021 the Catholicos of the Malankara Church was Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews III.

Organization

  • The Church is in the Oriental Orthodox family following the Orthodox faith of the three Ecumenical Councils of Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus.
  • The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church is a division of the Orthodox Syrian Church and the chief Primate of the Orthodox Syrian Church is the Patriarch of Antioch.[2]
  • The Orthodox Syrian Church of the East is an autocephalous branch of the Orthodox Syrian Church and the chief Primate of the Orthodox Syrian Church of the East is the Catholicos of the East aka Maphrian.[2]
  • The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church is an autonomous metropolitan Archdiocese of the Orthodox Syrian Church of the East. The Primate of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church is called the Malankara Metropolitan.
  • The two titles, Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan, are with separate responsibilities, but have been always held by the same individual in accordance with the constitution of the Church adopted in 1934.
  • As Catholicos of the East, he consecrates bishops for the Indian Orthodox Church, presides over the synod, declares and implements its decisions, conducts the administration on behalf of the synod, and consecrates the Holy Mooron (oil).
  • As Malankara Metropolitan[3]., he is the head of the Malankara Church, the President of the Malankara Syrian Christian Association and the Managing Committee. The prime jurisdiction regarding the temporal, ecclesiastical, and spiritual administration of the Indian Orthodox Church is vested in the Malankara Metropolitan subject to the provisions of the Church constitution adopted in 1934.[4][5]
Baselius Marthoma Mathews III

Lineage of Catholicos

  1. Baselios Paulos I (1912-1913)
  2. Baselios Geevarghese I (1925-1928)
  3. Baselios Geevarghese II (1929–1964) also Malankara Metropolitan from 1934[6][7]
  4. Baselios Augen I (1964-1975)
  5. Baselios Marthoma Mathews I (1975–1991)
  6. Baselios Marthoma Mathews II (1991–2005)
  7. Baselios Marthoma Didymus I (2005–2010)
  8. Baselios Marthoma Paulose II (2010–2021)
  9. Baselios Marthoma Mathews III (2021-)

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ "The Catholicate of the Malankara orthodox Syrian Church".
  2. ^ a b "Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Constitution" (PDF). 1934. The Malankara Church is a division of the Orthodox Syrian Church. The Primate of the Orthodox Syrian Church is the Patriarch of Antioch.
  3. ^ "1934 constitution(മലങ്കരസഭ ഭരണഘടന)". Archived from the original on 2018-05-02. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
  4. ^ "The Catholicate of the Malankara orthodox Syrian Church |".
  5. ^ "The Constitution of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church" (PDF). 2006-11-23 [1934-12-26]. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-07-09.
  6. ^ "In 1958 Supreme Court of India declared Baselios cI is the rightful Malankara Metropolitan (Samudayam Suit)".
  7. ^ "His Holiness Baselios Geevarghese II, the Third Catholicos of the East in Malankara (1929–1964) |".

External links