Indian Orthodox Church
The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church or Indian Orthodox Church is an ancient oriental church in southern India with approximately 2.5 million members. It is attributable to the Thomas Christians, but has adopted the western Syrian liturgy, which differs from its origin .
She traces her history and authority back to the Apostle Thomas and an uninterrupted succession (" Apostolic Succession "). The current head of the church is Katholikos Baselios Marthoma Paulose II. (* 1946) The church is also known as the Indian Orthodox Church and is to be distinguished from the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church and the Syro Malankara Catholic Church .
Indian Christians in the age of colonialism were the target of various attempts to incorporate them into Western churches. The efforts of the Roman Catholic Church at the time of the Portuguese dominance led to the formation of a church united with Rome , the Syro-Malabar Church . There were similar efforts on the part of the Anglicans under English colonial rule .
history
The greater part of the Thomas Christians approached the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch from the 17th century and was subsequently under their own "Metropolitan of Malankara" of native origin, who was largely dependent on the mother church for his ordination . During the British colonial rule, the Mar Thoma Church, unified with the Church of England, split off in 1888 . To ward off Protestant tendencies, the Orthodox strengthened their connection with the Antiochian patriarchate, but at the same time defended themselves against its efforts to regulate the internal affairs of the Indian subsidiary church and to determine church property. During his visit to India in 1909/11, Patriarch Ignatius Abdallah II excommunicated the Metropolitan Gewarghese Mor Dionysius VI. Vattasseril (1908-1934) and raised in his place Paulos Mor Qurillos Kochuparambil (1911-1917) to Metropolitan. The factual split became a formal schism, as Abdallah's predecessor and rival in India in 1912/13, Patriarch Ignatius Abd al-Masih († 1915), on September 17, 1912 the office of Maphrians , the " Catholicos of the East", in Malankara newly built and consecrated Murimattam Mor Paulos Ivannios under the official name Mor Baseleios Paulos I (1912–1914) as Catholicos there. This gave rise to a virtually autocephalous branch of the Church that was separated from the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. The branch of the Syrian Orthodox Church of India, striving for independence from Antioch, established the “Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church” in 1934, but the schism was temporarily ended in 1964 and a common hierarchy was established under the “Catholicos of the East”. However, under the eyes of Catholicos Basil I (1965–1975), tensions revived when the Catholicos assumed the title of "Successor to the Throne of the Apostle Thomas". The conflict intensified when the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch dispatched a patriarchal assistant who was not acceptable to the Indians in 1972. When the Patriarch excommunicated Catholicos Basilios Augen I in 1975 and in turn consecrated Paulose Mar Philoxenis as Baselios Paulose II (1975–1996) to Maphrian (Catholicos), the break was carried out. The supporters of Basilios Augens, who resigned in 1975, elected Mor Basilios Marthoma Mathews I (1975–1991; † 1996) to Catholicos and established the autocephalous Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, while the rest of them as the autonomous Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church under the sovereignty of the Antiochian Patriarchate remained, which is represented in India by a "Catholicos of India". In June 2018, four Church priests in India were charged with using confessional information to extort and sexually abuse a married woman. The request of the national women's commission of the Indian government to abolish confession as a consequence was rejected by representatives of several Christian churches.
Katholikoi
- 1912–1914 Baselios Paulose I.
- Seven year sedis vacancy
- 1925–1928 Baselios Geevarghese I. (previously Mor Philoxenos von Kottayam)
- 1929–1964 Baselios Geevarghese II (previously Mor Geevarghese Gregorios von Niranam and Thumpamon)
- 1964–1975 Baselio's eyes I.
- 1975–1991 Baselios Marthoma Mathews I. († 1996 retired)
- 1991-2005 Baselios Marthoma Mathews II.
- 2005–2010 Baselios Marthoma Didymos I.
- 2010– Baselios Marthoma Paulose II.
structure
The Church has 19 dioceses in India, mostly in Kerala , one diocese in the United States and one for Canada and Europe. The Synod of Bishops is chaired by the Catholicos, the designated successor and another metropolitan are deputies.
literature
- Karl Pinggéra : The Churches of the Syrian Orthodox Tradition . In: Christian Lange , Karl Pinggéra (ed.): The old oriental churches. Belief and history . Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2010, ISBN 978-3-534-22052-6 , pp. 77-88 .
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Robin Gomes: Card. Gracias: Call by commission for ban on Confession is against freedom of religion. Vatican News of July 30, 2018