The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is a Major Archepiscopal sui iuris Eastern Rite Catholic Church in communion with the Holy See, with historical links to the Syrian Catholic Church. The church was formed when two bishops, a priest, a deacon, and a layman of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church reconciled with the Bishop of Rome on September 20, 1930. The new church grew quickly, being organized as a sui iuris metropolitan church by Pope Pius XI in 1932, consisting of an archdiocese and a suffragen diocese in Kerala, India. The church reported over 400,000 members in 2005, organized into a major archdiocese and four suffragen dioceses.

Its adherents are sometimes grouped together as Saint Thomas Christians. Those Syro-Malankara churches which did not come into full communion with Rome remain in the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church or the autocephalous Indian Orthodox Church.

On February 10, 2005, the Archdiocese of Trivandrum was elevated by Pope John Paul II to a Major Archdiocese, elevating the Archbishop to Major Archbishop (called Catholicos by Syro-Malankara Catholics). As a major

Head

His Beatitude, Moran Mor Cyril Mar Baselious Catholicos is the Major Archbishop of the Church. He is based in Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), Kerala, India. Previous heads of the church are listed below.

• Archbishops of Trivandrum
  1. Geevarghese Mar Ivanios, OIC (1932 – 1953)
  2. Benedict Mar Gregorios, OIC (1955 – 1994)
  3. Cyril Mar Baselious, OIC (1995 – 2005)
• Major Archbishop of Trivandrum
  1. Cyril Mar Baselious, OIC (2005 – )

See also

• Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

Sources

• , retrieved January 11, 2006
• , Catholic-Hierarchy.Org, retrieved January 11, 2006
• Ronald Robertson, CSP; The Eastern Christian Churches: A Brief Survey (6th Edition); Edizioni Orientalia Christiana, Pontifico Instituto Orientale; Rome, Italy; 1999; ISBN 88-7210-321-5

Église catholique syro-malankare