Historical Development of Catholicate in India

335 AD – 1653Archdeacons

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 four ancient families namely, 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.

During the reign of Marthoma VIII, the metropolitan of the community in the early 19th century, the Madras government once asked him a review of the history of the Malankara church and gave him seventeen questions to answer. On the 20th of April 1812 he gave written answer to all the questions. The last question was about the position and authority of the Malankara Metropolitan in the church.

The Metran or Malankara Metropolitan of the community was the continuation of the apostolic authority in the Malankara Church. The title of the head of the community was Archdeacon — sometimes known as the Archdeacon of whole India. In the native language it was usually called Jathikku Karthavyan. The Archdeacon was the unquestioned social and political leader, with local soldiers under his command to protect the interest of the community.

The Portuguese tried to bring the Archdeacon under their control. Through the Synod of Udayamperur (1599) they brought him under the authority of the Roman Archbishop. The community revolted against this through the Coonan Cross Oath of 1653.

1653 – 1816The Archdeacon as Bishop

After the Coonan Cross Oath the Church ordained the Archdeacon as a bishop with the name Mar Thoma I. This ordination was a very important turning point in the history of the development of authority in the Malankara Church. All the powers of the century old archdeacon with additional spiritual authority were given to him when he was elevated to the position of a bishop.

The Marthoma Metrans continued in succession — Mar Thoma I, II, through Mar Thoma VIII — ruling the church from 1653 to 1816. The spiritual as well as the administrative authority of the community were vested on the Mar Thoma Metrans during this period.

1816 OnwardsMalankara Metropolitan

In 1816 Pulikottil Joseph Mar Dionysius became a bishop and received the Royal Proclamation from the Travancore government to function as the Metropolitan of the community. The head of the Church now came to be known as Malankara Metropolitan. The power and authority of the Malankara Metropolitan gained greater recognition than the Archdeacons and Marthoma Metrans because of political changes through the establishment of British rule.

From 1816, Dionysius II, Dionysius III, Dionysius IV, Mar Athanasios and Dionysius V were the Malankara Metropolitans in the 19th century. Among these Mar Athanasios and Mar Dionysius V exercised enormous spiritual as well as temporal powers inside and outside the community.

1876The Synod of Mulanthuruthy

Mar Dionysius V was the Malankara Metropolitan at the time of the Synod of Mulanthuruthy (1876). During the later half of the 19th century a split occurred in the community because of the CMS missionaries and the reformation supported by them. This invited closer interference of the Patriarch of Antioch.

The Patriarch Peter III of Antioch came in 1875. Instead of healing the division, the Patriarch tried to establish his authority by suppressing the Malankara Metropolitan. He presided over the synod, directed its proceedings, and after the Synod divided the church into seven dioceses and consecrated six new bishops. By these actions the Patriarch was trying to reduce the authorities of the Malankara Metropolitan.

1876 – 1911The Way to Catholicate

After the Synod of Mulanthuruthy the Church became more conscious about establishing a Catholicate (Maphrianate) to avoid unnecessary interference of the Patriarch of Antioch in the internal affairs of the Church.

The legal fights against the reformers ended in the final judgment of the Travancore Royal Court in 1889. The court declared that the Patriarch had spiritual supervisory powers over the Malankara Church, but did not have any temporal authority. The Patriarch was not satisfied and used all means to establish his full authority in the Church.

1911The Excommunication of Mar Dionysius VI

Mar Dionysius V died in 1909 and Mar Dionysius VI became the Malankara Metropolitan. The Patriarch demanded a registered deed declaring perfect allegiance. Mar Dionysius strongly refused.

The Patriarch excommunicated Mar Dionysius VI on 31st May 1911, creating great confusion and division in the Malankara Church. Most influential lay leaders and many clergy supported Mar Dionysius and stood firm with him. The Church clearly understood the intention of the Patriarch to exterminate the position of the Malankara Metropolitan.

September 15, 1912The Consecration of the Catholicose

When the Patriarch excommunicated Mar Dionysius VI, there were two Patriarchs of Antioch: Abdulla, who had powers through the Firman of the Turkish government, and Abdedmassiah, who was senior but inactive after the government withdrew his firman.

The Malankara Church contacted Abdedmassiah and invited him to Malankara. He presided over the Episcopal Synod that decided to consecrate a Catholicose. Mar Ivanios Metropolitan of the Kandanadu Diocese was unanimously proposed.

After the consecration, the Patriarch issued two Kalpanas declaring the importance, privileges, powers and functions of the Catholicose. All the authorities enjoyed by the Patriarch as head of the Church were given to the Catholicose also. By this consecration the Indian Church asserted its full autonomy and became a full autocephalous Church.

1912 – 1958Succession and Legal Recognition

After the demise of Baselios Paulose I, Mar Philoxenos of Vakathanam was consecrated as Baselius Geevarghese I. When he died in 1928, Mar Gregorios was elected and consecrated on February 13, 1929 as Baselius Geevarghese II.

The Patriarchal group questioned the validity of the Catholicate in courts. On September 12, 1958, the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court of India recognized the validity of the Catholicate and unanimously declared that the Patriarch of Antioch does not have any authority over the Malankara church, and that all parishes and properties are under the authority of the Catholicos.

1958 – 1964Reunification and Peace

Moved by the Supreme Court judgment, the Patriarch's group recommended that Patriarch Ignatius Yacob III accept the Catholicos as head of the Indian church. In December 1958, the Patriarch and the Catholicos accepted each other by exchanging letters.

The peace continued until the demise of Catholicose Geevarghese II in 1964. The Malankara Association elected Mar Augen Thimothios as the next Catholicose. The Syrian Patriarch was officially invited and came to India to co-operate with the Malankara synod in the consecration.

Conclusion

In all the Churches the position of Patriarch or Catholicose was a development of authority through history. In Rome, Alexandria, Antioch and Constantinople it achieved recognition in the 4th century. The Georgian and Armenian Catholicose developed in the same period. Later, the Russian Patriarchate (1589), Romania (1885), Serbia (1879), Bulgaria (1883), and Ethiopia (1958) followed. It happened in the Malankara Orthodox Church in 1912.

The Catholicate in India was a growth through centuries within the Malankara Church, influenced by developments in other churches like Persia, Antioch, and Rome. It should always be considered a symbol of Apostolic origin, authority and heritage as well as nationality and independence of the Malankara Orthodox Church.