Catholicos-Patriarch of Malankarra on the Holy Apostolic See (Throne) of St. Thomas -- prayers for a new ecumenism

Background

The St.Thomas Christian community based out of Kerala, India is a fascinating and unique ethno-religious community of Christians based out of the region called Malankarra (presently, the State of Kerala) in India. They trace their origins to the Apostolic activity of the Apostle Thomas.

They have a vibrant faith, consisting of rich liturgies, hymnody, hagiographies, seasons, fasts, feasts, architecture, customs and rich doctrinal and musical traditions. Through the circumstances of history, they are now comprised of different Christian traditions. First and foremost, they contain both East Syriac (Persian/Assyrian/Chaldean/Nestorian) and West Syriac (Antiochian) rites and sects. In addition, large segments of them have adopted the Roman Catholic faith as well as various Protestant faiths -- Reformed, Anglican, evangelical, pentecostal, and more. (Perhaps, only the Alexandrian/Coptic and Byzantine/Eastern Orthodox confessions are missing from this broad ecumenical sweep).

Disunity in the Malankarra church

This overlap of jurisdictions as well as irreconcilable theology regarding many issues, not the least of which being ecclesiology, prevents full visible unity in the community, as it does in the Church in almost every corner of the world.

This visible disunity is very starkly seen when one focuses attention on just the West Syriac churches, comprising of the two Oriental Orthodox (Jacobite and Malankarra/Indian Orthodox), as well as Independent Orthodox (or quasi-Orthodox or Eastern Reformed) churches like the Thozhiyoor Church and the Marthoma Church (although, the latter church is alleged to have incorporated many Anglican and Reformed doctrines and practices, even if not completely Anglicanised as the CSI/CNI, nor completely Protestant evangelical like St. Thomas Church or Believers Church). Each church in this tradition claims to represent the pure Orthodox and Apostolic faith in the non-Chalcedonian tradition.

Disunity and split in the Malankarra episcopacy

A concomitant tragic reality that is part of this disunity is the confusion and split in the identity and lineage of the historic Apostolic episcopacy of Malankarra, which is traditionally the See (Throne) of the Apostle St. Thomas. Historically and presently, there are various overlapping views regarding this episcopacy and, therefore, regarding Malankarra ecclesiology.

The eastern-most historical Catholicos (Patriarch) is the Patriarch of Seleucia-Cstesiphon (of the Church of the East of the Assyrians/Chaldeans/Nestorians). The ancient St. Thomas Christian community in India is sometimes seen as a province of the Church of the East, and is known to have been led by a head priest known as the Malankarra Moopen. While it is hard to map the episcopal rank exactly, this role is seen as somewhere between a Metropolitan Bishop and an Archdeacon. If one looks farther back into the early history of the Christian church, one may say that the Church of the East and its Patriarchal see originated as a political/theological expedient (not that this fact alone detracts from its validity, for no Christian church or tradition has kept itself from being entangled with and mired in secular powers and politics, and the Church has almost everywhere and at all times not enjoyed theological unanimity, even given the stunning and miraculous uniformity of various Apostolic traditions). Prior to the Council of Ephesus and the split between St. Cyril and St. Nestorius and the rise of the Sassanid Empire (arch-rival to the Roman Empire), the Church of the East was itself seen to be an ecclesiastic province of the Apostolic Patriarchal See of Antioch.

Of course, the relatively recent history of Malankarra (of the last five centuries or more) of Latinisation and the subsequent return to West Syriac / Antiochian patrimony is much more well-documented.

In addition to these above realities, the strong tradition that relates the Christianisation of this region to the Apostolic work of St. Thomas is well known and he is also acclaimed as the traditional founding Apostle of the See of Seleucia-Cstesiphon.

Given this context, we have the current situation of disunity. The West Syriacs are at least agreed on the ecclesiastical principle regarding the episcopacy that it is, at least, autonomous (some justify as emanating from the idea that the Catholicos Patriarch of the East was already autocephalous and some justify as emanating from the traditions of the Apostolic patrimony of St. Thomas and the virtual independence of the erstwhile historic Malankarra Moopen). However, the current disunity arises from the more recent conflicting ordinations and deposements by various West Syriac (Antiochian) patriarchs of episcopal heads in the Malankarra church, each of which may justifiably be seen as canonical. These rifts resulted in one autocephalous church (Malankarra/Indian Orthdox), one autonomous church which is formally under the See of Antioch (Jacobites), but is stronger than a mere province, since its head is also the Maphrian, and two autonomous churches (Thozhiyoor and Marthoma) who each operate as if autocephalous and who each have justifiable claims to valid Apostolic and canonical succession.

Forward in unity -- a new Malankarra St. Thomas ecumenism

In this section, this present author outlines his prayers and desires for unity, and hopes that these are shared by many.

Theologically and ontologically, it seems clear from the principles of orthodox ecclesiology, as well as from history and tradition, that the St. Thomas Malankarra Christian community is and ought to be autocephalous. Furthermore, theologically and ontologically, this community is and ought to be headed by a Catholicos-Patriarch on the See (Throne) of St. Thomas (which would be the natural elevation of the historic Malankarra Metropolitan). Given this, the nucleus or kernel of this new ecumenical community may be forged from a visible unification of the two independent West Syriac Orthodox churches -- Indian Orthodox and Thozhiyoor. Furthermore, in addition to those two rites and churches, this nucleus will bring in willing congregations, prelates and priests from the Jacobite, Marthoma and Chaldean communities desiring to enter this new union, where the latter two may choose to continue their West Syriac (Reformed) and East Syriac rites, respectively. For that matter, willing congregations and clergy from Catholic (Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankarra) and Protestant (St. Thomas, Believers) confessions will also be embraced, even if strictly Roman and Protestant theologies, doctrines and dogmas may not be fully sanctioned or authorized.

This new autocephalous Patriarch will therefore need to receive the blessing and joint consecration by the joint laying on of hands of the current Indian Orthodox Catholicos, the Patriarch of Antioch and the Jacobite Maphrian/Catholicos, the Patriarch of the Church of the East and the Chaldean Syrian primate in India as well as current Marthoma and Thozhiyoor prelates, at the very least. The friendly presence of Catholic prelates (Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankarra) and other Protestant prelates (CSI/CNI, St. Thomas, Believers Church) will further sanctify and legitimize this historic ecclesiastical moment.

(This author sees the Indian Orthodox-Thozhiyoor unification as the most logical nucleus for an autocephalous Malankarra Orthodox church. To dispel suspicion of self-serving bias, this author is from neither church -- his own background is Marthoma and his closest ecumenical fellowship has been with the Jacobites, to date).

Of course, some or many prelates, priests and congregations from the Jacobite, Marthoma and Chaldean communities will not join and will freely prefer remaining separately organized, for theological reasons, as autonomous (or, as the case may be, autocephalous) Maphrianate, Marthoma Metropolitanate and Indian province of the Church of the East, respectively. The Church is a government of peace, goodwill and consent and not one of coercion. If the Holy Spirit moves the Malankarra church along the lines outlined in the vision above, the faithful will choose to align with that vision, freely and without compulsion. Organic and peaceable unity is the only true way forward for ecumenical unity.

If something along these lines were to happen in Malankarra, it would be a blessed model for the whole Christian world.