The Syro-Malabar Church, an Eastern Catholic church of the Catholic Church, traces its origin to apostolic times. Historically, the church developed as the Malabar Church, a suffragan of the Metropolis of Persia and India under the Church of the East and later elevated as the Metropolis of All India of the Church of the East in the seventh century by Patriarch Ishoʿyahb III.[1][2][3][4] It had the jurisdiction all over India.[5] After the Schism of 1552, the church was integrated with the Chaldean Catholic Church as the Archdiocese of Angamaly.The efforts of the Portuguese Padroado to liturgical latinisation under the Latin Church archidiocese that culminated in the Synod of Diamper in 1599, led to a suppression of the Syro-Malabar customs and rites, and liturgical Latinisation. In the 20th century, Syro-Malabar Catholics attained greater autonomy and were ultimately made a major archeparchal sui iuris church and regained its all India jurisdiction by 2017.
Cardinals from the Syro Malabar Church
| Rank | Coat of arms/seal | Cardinal | Eparchy/Archeparchy | Titular Church | Other Posts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal-Priest | Mar George Cardinal Alenchery | Major Metropolitanate of Ernakulam–Angamaly | Title of San Bernardo alle Terme | Major Archbishop Emeritus of Ernakulam–Angamaly, member of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches and International Council for Catechesis, age 81.[6] | |
| Cardinal-Deacon | Mar George Jacob Cardinal Koovakad | Metropolitanate of Changanassery | Deconary of Sant'Antonio di Padova a Circonvallazione Appia | Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and member of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, age 53.[7] |
Major Archbishop of the Syro Malabar Church
Source:[8]
| Major Archbishop/ Major-Metropolitan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| His Beatitude Maran Mar Raphael Thattil ܡܳܪܝ ܪܰܦܳܐܝܶܠ ܛܰܛܺܝܠ | |||
| Title | |||
| Head of Syro Malabar Church President of the Holy Synod of Syro Malabar Church Metropolitan and Gate of All India Successor to the See of Mar Thoma Sleeha Archeparch of Ernakulam-Angamaly Metropolitan of the province of Ernakulam-Angamaly | |||
| Seat | |||
| Major Metropolitanate of Ernakulam–Angamaly & Major-Archiepiscopal Curia, Mount St. Thomas |
Bishop of the Major Archepiscopial Curia
| Post / Seat | Bishop's coat of arms/seal | Eparch | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curia Bishop | |||
| Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Mount St. Thomas | vacant | Curia Bishop | |
Eparchies under Syro-Malabar provinces and their Hierarchs
| Eparchy | Eparchy coat of arms/seal | Eparch | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecclesiastical Province of Ernakulam-Angamaly | |||
| Major Metropolitanate of Ernakulam–Angamaly | Mar Raphael Thattil | Metropolitan Major Archeparch of Erankulam-Angamaly | |
| Mar Joseph Pamplany | Major Archiepiscopial Vicar of the Major Archeparch | ||
| Mar George Cardinal Alenchery | Metropolitan Major Archeparch emeritus of Eranakulam-Angamaly | ||
| Mar Antony Kariyil CMI | Major Archiepiscopal Vicar emeritus of Eranakulam-Angamaly | ||
| Mar Thomas Chakiath | Auxiliary Eparch emeritus of Eranakulam-Angamaly | ||
| Eparchy of Idukki | Mar John Nellikkunnel | Eparch of Idukki | |
| Eparchy of Kothamangalam | Mar George Madathikandathil | Eparch of Kothamangalam | |
| Mar George Punnakottil | Eparch emeritus of Kothamangalam | ||
| Ecclesiastical Province of Chanaganassery | |||
| Metropolitanate of Changanassery | Mar Thomas Tharayil | Metropolitan Archeparch of Changanassery | |
| Mar Joseph Perumthottam | Metropolitan Archeparch emeritus of Changanassery | ||
| Eparchy of Kanjirappally | Mar Jose Pulickal | Eparch of Kanjirappally | |
| Mar Mathew Arackal | Eparch emeritus of Kanjirappally | ||
| Eparchy of Palai | Mar Joseph Kallarangatt | Eparch of Palai | |
| Mar Joseph Pallikaparampil | Eparch emeritus of Palai | ||
| Mar Jacob Muricken | Auxiliary Eparch emeritus of Palai | ||
| Eparchy of Thuckalay | Mar George Rajendran SDB | Eparch of Thuckalay | |
| Ecclesiastical Province of Faridabad | |||
| Metropolitanate of Faridabad | Mar Kuriakose Bharanikulangara | Metropolitan Archeparch of Faridabad | |
| Mar Jose Puthenveettil | Auxiliary Eparch of Faridabad | ||
| Eparchy of Bijnor | Mar Vincent Nellaiparambil | Eparch of Bijnor | |
| Mar John Vadakel CMI | Eparch emeritus of Bijnor | ||
| Mar Gratian Mundadan CMI | Eparch emeritus of Bijnor | ||
| Eparchy of Gorakhpur | Mar Mathew Nellikunnel | Eparch of Gorakhpur | |
| Mar Thomas Thuruthimattam CST | Eparch emeritus of Gorakhpur | ||
| Ecclesiastical Province of Kalyan | |||
| Metropolitanate of Kalyan | Mar Sebastian Vaniyapurackal | Metropolitan Archeparch of Kalyan | |
| Mar Thomas Elavanal MCBS | Eparch emeritus of Kalyan | ||
| Eparchy of Chanda | Mar Ephrem Nariculam | Eparch of Chanda | |
| Mar Vijay Anand Nedumpuram CMI | Eparch emeritus of Chanda | ||
| Eparchy of Rajkot | Mar Jose Chittooparambil CMI | Eparch of Rajkot | |
| Ecclesiastical Province of Shamshbad | |||
| Metropolitanate of Shamshabad | Mar Antony Panengaden | Metropolitan Archeparch of Shamshabad | |
| Mar Joseph Kollamparambil | First Auxiliary Eparch of Shamshabad | ||
| Mar Thomas Padiyath | Second Auxiliary Eparch of Shamshabad | ||
| Eparchy of Adilabad | Mar Joseph Thachaparambath CMI | Eparch of Adilabad | |
| Mar Joseph Kunnath CMI | Eparch emeritus of Adilabad | ||
| Ecclesiastical Province of Thrissur | |||
| Metropolitanate of Thrissur | Mar Andrews Thazhath | Metropolitan Archeparch of Thrissur | |
| Mar Tony Neelankavil | Auxiliary Eparch of Thrissur | ||
| Eparchy of Hosur | Mar Sebastian Pozholiparampil | Eparch of Hosur | |
| Eparchy of Irinjalakuda | Mar Pauly Kannookadan | Eparch of Irinjalakuda | |
| Eparchy of Palghat (Palakkad) | Mar Peter Kochupurackal | Eparch of Palghat | |
| Mar Jacob Manathodath | Eparch emeritus of Palghat | ||
| Eparchy of Ramanathapuram | Mar Paul Alappatt | Eparch of Ramanathapuram | |
| Ecclesiastical Province of Thalassery | |||
| Metropolitanate of Tellicherry (Thalassery) | Mar Joseph Pamplany | Metropolitan Archeparch of Tellicherry | |
| Mar George Njaralakatt | Metropolitan Archeparch emeritus of Tellicherry | ||
| Mar George Valiamattam | Metropolitan Archeparch emeritus of Tellicherry | ||
| Eparchy of Belthangady | Mar James Patteril CMF | Eparch of Belthangady | |
| Mar Lawrence Mukkuzhy | Eparch emeritus of Belthangady | ||
| Eparchy of Bhadravathi | Mar Joseph Arumachadath MCBS | Eparch of Bhadravathi | |
| Eparchy of Mananthavady | Mar Jose Porunnedom | Eparch of Manathavady | |
| Mar Alex Tharamangalam | Auxiliary Eparch of Mananthavady | ||
| Eparchy of Mandya | Mar Sebastian Adayantharath | Eparch of Mandya | |
| Eparchy of Thamarassery | Mar Remigiose Inchananiyil | Eparch of Thamarassery | |
| Ecclesiastical Province of Ujjain | |||
| Metropolitanate of Ujjain | Mar Sebastian Vadakkel MST | Metropolitan Archeparch of Ujjain | |
| Eparchy of Jagdalpur | Mar Joseph Kollamparampil CMI | Eparch of Jagdalpur | |
| Eparchy of Sagar | Mar James Athikalam MST | Eparch of Sagar | |
| Mar Anthony Chirayath | Eparch emeritus of Sagar | ||
| Eparchy of Satna | Mar Joseph Kodakallil | Eparch of Satna | |
| Mar Matthew Vaniakizhakel VC | Eparch emeritus of Satna | ||
| Archeparchy of Kottayam for Knanaya | |||
| Metropolitanate of Kottayam | Mar Mathew Moolakkatt | Archeparch of Kottayam | |
| Mar Joseph Pandarasseril | Auxiliary Eparch of Kottayam | ||
| Gheevarghese Mar Aprem | Auxiliary Eparch of Kottayam for the Malankara Rite faithful | ||
Eparchies immediately subject to the Holy See
| Eparchy | Eparchy coat of arms/seal | Territory | Eparch | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | ||||
| Eparchy of St Thomas the Apostle of Chicago | United States of America | Mar Joy Alappatt | Eparch of St. Thomas the Apostle of Chicago | |
| Mar Jacob Angadiath | Eparch emeritus of St. Thomas the Apostle of Chicago | |||
| Eparchy of Mississauga | Canada | Mar Jose Kalluvelil | Eparch of Mississauga | |
| Oceania | ||||
| Eparchy of St Thomas the Apostle of Melbourne[11] | Australia , New Zealand and Oceania | Mar John Panamthottathil CMI [12] | Eparch of St. Thomas of Melbourne | |
| Mar Bosco Puthur | Eparch emeritus of St. Thomas the Apostle of Melbourne | |||
| Europe | ||||
| Eparchy of Great Britain | Great Britain | Mar Joseph Srampickal | Eparch of Great Britain | |
Apostolic Visitations
| Apostolic Visitations under direct jurisdiction of the Major Archbishop | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visitation | Visitation coat of arms/seal | Territory | Apostolic Visitator | Title |
| Europe [13][14] | Mar Stephen Chirappanath | Apostolic Visitator for the Syro Malabar faithful in Europe | ||
| Arabian Peninsula [15] | Fr. Jolly Vadakken | Apostolic Visitator for the Syro-Malabar faithful in the Arabian Peninsula | ||
Hierarchs working for the Holy See
| Post / Seat | Bishop's coat of arms/seal | Eparch | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Curia | |||
| Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue,[16] Holy See | Mar George Jacob Cardinal Koovakad | Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue[17] | |
| Propaganda Fide - Diplomatic Posts [18] | |||
| Apostolic Nunciature of Chile | Mar Kurian Vayalunkal | Titular Archbishop of Ratiaria and Apostolic Nuncio to Chile[19] | |
| Apostolic Nunciature of Uruguay | Mar George Panikulam | Titular Archbishop of Caudium and Apostolic Nuncio Emeritus to Uruguay | |
| Apostolic Nunciature of Bangladesh | Mar George Kocherry | Titular Archbishop of Othona and Apostolic Nuncio emeritus to Bangladesh | |
Timeline
- May 20, 1887 Two independent Vicariates of Kottayam (present Changanassery1) and Thrissur2 for Syrians; Charles Lavigne and Adolf Medlycott were made Vicar Apostolic respectively (Quod Jampridem, Pope Leo XIII).
- September 16, 1890 Seat of Kottayam Vicariate moved to Changanassery
- July 28, 1896 Vicariate of Ernakulam3 created, with territories from both Vicariates of Changanassery and Thrissur, and Bishop Louis Pazheparambil, Bishop Mathew Makkil, and Bishop John Menachery were made the bishops respectively (Quae Rei Sacrae, Pope Leo XIII).
- July 28, 1896 Vicariate of Kottayam renamed as the Vicariate of Changanassery
- August 29, 1911 Establishment of the Vicariate of Kottayam4 for the Knanaya (Southists) Community of the Syrians.
- December 21, 1923 Vicariates of Thrissur, Changanassery and Kottayam raised as Eparchies.
- December 21, 1923 Vicariate of Ernakulam raised as a Metropolitan Archieparchy with suffragan sees of Thrissur, Kottayam and Changanassery.
- December 21, 1923 Establishment of the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy and elevating the Syro-Malabar Church as a Metropolitan Sui iuris Church
- July 25, 1950 Eparchy of Pala5
- December 31, 1953 Eparchy of Thalassery6
- July 26, 1956 Eparchy of Changanassery raised as a Metropolitan Archieparchy with suffragan see of Pala
- January 10, 1957 Eparchy of Kothamangalam7
- March 31, 1962 Ordinariate of Chanda, Maharashtra (CMI)
- July 29, 1968 Ordinariate of Chanda raised as the Exarchate of Chanda
- July 29, 1968 Exarchate of Sagar, Madhya Pradesh (CMI)
- July 29, 1968 Exarchate of Satna, Madhya Pradesh (VC)
- July 29, 1968 Exarchate of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh (MST)
- March 23, 1972 Exarchate of Bijnor, Uttarakhand (CMI)
- March 23, 1972 Exarchate of Jagdalpur, Chattisgargh (CMI)
- March 1, 1973 Eparchy of Mananthavady08
- June 20, 1974 Eparchy of Palakkad09
- February 26, 1977 Exarchates of Bijnor10, Chanda11, Jagdalpur12, Sagar13, Satna14, and Ujjain15 raised as Eparchies.
- February 25, 1977 Eparchy of Rajkot16, Gujarat (CMI)
- February 26, 1977 Eparchy of Kanjirappally17
- June 22, 1978 Eparchy of Irinjalakkuda18
- September 8, 1978 First Apostolic Visitation for the faithful outside proper territory of the Syro-Malabar Church in India until April 23, 1985.
- June 19, 1984 Eparchy of Gorakhpur,19 Uttar Pradesh (CST)
- April 28, 1986 Eparchy of Thamarassery20
- April 30, 1988 Eparchy of Kalyan,21 Maharashtra
- December 16, 1992 Syro-Malabar Church raised to a Major Archepiscopial Sui iuris Church with the establishment of Major Archiepiscopal see of Ernakulam-Angamaly and appointment of Mar Antony Cardinal Padiyara as the first Major Archbishop.
- May 18, 1995 Eparchies of Thrissur (Suffragan sees of Irinjalakuda and Palakkad) and Thalassery (Suffragan sees of Thamarassery and Mananthavady) made Metropolitan Archieparchies.
- November 11, 1996 Eparchy of Thuckalay,22 Tamil Nadu
- February 3, 1998 Major Archiepiscopal Headquarters at Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad.
- April 24, 1999 Eparchy of Belthangady,23 Karnataka
- July 23, 1999 Eparchy of Adilabad,24 Andhra Pradesh (CMI)
- July 6, 2001 Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle of Chicago,25 USA, also acting as Apostolic Visitation in Canada
- December 19, 2002 Eparchy of Idukki26
- May 9, 2005 Eparchy of Kottayam was made a Metropolitan Archieparchy with co-extensive jurisdiction across the Syro-Malabar territory.
- July 15, 2006 Second Apostolic Visitation for the faithful outside proper territory of the Syro-Malabar Church in India
- August 21, 2007 Eparchy of Bhadravathi,27 Karnataka (MCBS)
- January 18, 2010 Eparchy of Mandya28 Karnataka
- January 18, 2010 Eparchy of Ramanathapuram29, Tamil Nadu
- March 6, 2012 Eparchy of Faridabad30, encompassing the Union Territories of Delhi NCT, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and states of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and parts of Uttar Pradesh.
- December 23, 2013 Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Melbourne31 established in and for Australia, also acting as Apostolic Visitation for New Zealand
- August 26, 2015 Extension of the territory of the Eparchy of Mandya.
- September 19, 2015 Apostolic Exarchate of Mississauga, Canada
- July 16, 2016 Eparchy of Great Britain32, for England, Scotland and Wales
- July 28, 2016 Apostolic Visitation for the Syro-Malabar Faithful in Europe, headquartered in Rome.
- October 9, 2017 Eparchy of Hosur33, Tamil Nadu
- October 9, 2017 Expansion of territories of Eparchies of Ramanathapuram and Thuckalay.
- October 9, 2017 Eparchy of Shamshabad34, for the rest of the territories in India (23 States and 4 UTs).
- October 9, 2017 Re-establishing of the All India jurisdiction of the Syro-Malabar Church with Pope Francis granting the title of Metropolitan and Gate of All India to Mar George Cardinal Alencherry, the Major Archbishop of the church.
- December 22, 2018 Apostolic Exarchate of Mississauga raised to the Eparchy of Mississauga35, Canada
- July 19, 2020 Headquarters for the Apostolic Visitation for Europe moved to the Basilica of Sant'Anastasia al Palatino, in Rome, after Pope Francis granted the Basilica to the Syro-Malabar Church.
- March 29, 2021 Expansion of territory of the Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle of Melbourne to include New Zealand and Oceania
- May 13, 2024 Verbal assent by Pope Francis to the Major Archbishop Mar Raphael Thattil to practice jurisdiction over faithful in the Middle East (Vicariates of Northern Arabia and Southern Arabia).
- August 28, 2025 Territorial expansion of the eparchies of Adilabad, Bhadravati, Bijnor, Chanda, Gorakhpur, Jagdalpur, Kalyan, Rajkot, Sagar, Satna, and Ujjain from the Eparchy of Shamshabad.
- August 28, 2025 Eparchies of Faridabad (Suffragan sees of Bijnor and Gorakhpur), Kalyan (Suffragan sees of Chanda and Rajkot), Shamshabad (Suffragan see of Adilabad), and Ujjain (Suffragan sees of Jagdalpur, Sagar, and Satna) made Metropolitan Archieparchies.
- August 28, 2025 Eparchy of Hosur was made suffragan to the Archeparchy of Thrissur.
- November 18, 2025 Apostolic Visitation for the Syro-Malabar Faithful in the Arabian Peninsula.
References
- 1.Wilmshurst, EOCE, 343
- 2.MS Vat Syr 22; Wilmshurst, EOCE, 343 and 391
- 3.Wallis Budge, The Monks of Kublai Khan, 122–3
- 4.Fiey, POCN, 96
- 5.MSS Vat Syr 204a and Paris BN Syr 25
- 6.https://collegeofcardinalsreport.com/cardinals/george-alencherry/
- 7.https://collegeofcardinalsreport.com/cardinals/cardinal-george-jacob-koovakad/
- 8.https://www.syromalabarchurch.in/major-archbishop
- 9.https://www.syromalabarchurch.in/eparchies
- 10.https://www.syromalabarchurch.in/bishops
- 11.https://syromalabar.org.au/
- 12.https://mediablog.catholic.org.au/new-syro-malabar-eparch-named-for-australia-new-zealand/
- 13.https://www.syromalabarchurch.in/apostolic-visitation
- 14.http://smceurope.smcimprojects.com/
- 15.https://catholicconnect.in/news/fr-jolly-vadakken-appointed-apostolic-visitator-for-syro-malabar-faithful-in-gulf
- 16.https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dxird.html
- 17.https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2025/01/pope-francis-names-syro-malabar-cardinal-to-head-interreligious-dialogue-dicastery
- 18.https://www.syromalabarchurch.in/apostolic-nuncios-from-syromalabar-church
- 19.https://catholicnews.in/kerala-born-archbishop-appointed-as-the-new-apostolic-nuncio-to-chile/