Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church ܪܒܝ ܡܝܛܪܵܦܘܿܠܝܼܛܵܐܹ ܕܥܸܕܬܵܐ ܕܣܘܼܕܝܵܝܹܐ ܡܲܠܲܒܵܪܵܝܹܐ | |
---|---|
Bishopric | |
Incumbent: Raphael Thattil 11 January 2024 | |
Style | Mar |
Location | |
Country | India |
Headquarters | Mount Saint Thomas, Kakkanad |
Information | |
First holder | Antony Padiyara |
Denomination | Catholic Church |
Sui iuris church | Syro-Malabar Church |
Rite | East Syriac |
Archdiocese | Ernakulam-Angamaly |
Cathedral | St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Cathedral Basilica, Ernakulam |
Co-cathedral | Mar Hormizd Syro-Malabar Cathedral, Angamaly |
Website | |
syromalabarchurch.in |
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church within the Catholic Church, is led by a major archbishop and the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamalay in Kerala, India.
No. | Term | Portrait | Name | Date and Place of Birth | Age at start/end of Term | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 23 April 1985 – 11 November 1996
|
11 February 1921 | 64 / 75 (†79) | First Major Archbishop of the Syro Malabar Church. Established the Syro Malabar Synod of Bishops. | ||
2 | 6 January 1997 – 1 April 2011
|
29 May 1927 | 70 / 83 (†83) | Appointed by Pope John Paul II as the Apostolic Administrator before becoming the Full Time Major Archbishop in 1999. Helped Established the Eparchy of St. Thomas of Chicago along with other dioceses. | ||
3 | 24 May 2011
– 7 December 2023
|
Thuruthy, Travancore |
19 April 1945
67 / 78 | First Major Archbishop elected by the Synod of Bishops. Established All India Jurisdiction by the establishment of Eparchy of Shamshabad and Eparchy of Hosur. Also established the Eparchy of Mississauga,Eparchy of Melbourne, Eparchy of Great Britain, along with the Apostolic Visitation to Europe. | ||
4 | 9 January 2024 — present
|
Trichur, Kerala |
21 April 1956
67 | Thattil had previously served as the apostolic visitor of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church for Syro-Malabar resident "outside their proper territory" in India and as bishop of the Eparchy of Shamshabad since 2017.[1] |
The Vicariate was established in 1896, when the first archbishop was appointed. The Syro-Malabar's current hierarchical structure was established in 1923, and Ernakulam elevated as an archdiocese. In 1993, when Syro-Malabar Catholic Church was raised to major archiepiscopal church, Ernakulam became the seat of the major archbishop.
Through the Synod of Diamper, the Latin Catholic Padroado missionaries abolished the All India jurisdiction and erected the Diocese of Angamaly, suffragan to the Padroado Primatal See of Goa, in place of the Metropolitanate of All India.[3]
Following the schism, the pope having abandoned the latinisation policy, separated St. Thomas Christians in 1887 from the Vicariate of Verapoly, the local Latin Catholic hierarchy.[5] Initially they were organized under two vicariates, Thrissur and Kottayam. Later in 1896, Ernakulam vicariate was formed by bifurcating southern parts of Thrissur and northern parts of Changanacherry. During the same time native prelates were also appointed for all three vicariates. In 1911 a fourth vicariate was established in Kottayam for southists exclusively. I
Kottayam (Changanacherry)
|
Thrissur
|
|
|
Changanacherry
|
Ernakulam
|