Coonan Cross Oath
When oath from the Leaning Cross ( Coonan or Coonen Cross Oath ) in 1653 swore at " Coonan Cross" in Mattancherry, Cochin gathered in today's Kerala and firmly bound Thomas Christians, no longer portugal dependent the, Latin Archbishop of Angamaly and the Jesuits subordinate, from which a few months later the division of the group resulted in a Catholic and an autocephalous part. The event has been in the Indian Church a similar symbolic value as the theses of Luther in Germany.
Historical Background
The Church in India is of apostolic origin. After the constant local tradition of St. Thomas the Apostle landed in 52 in Muziris ( Kodungallur ) in Kerala today, founded along the Malabar coast seven Christian communities and died a martyr in Mailapur at Madras. From this foundation, the Church in India has developed long before European colonial powers worked there. She followed the East Syrian liturgical rite. Before the arrival of the Portuguese and still at the beginning of their colonial occupation, the Indian metropolitans were appointed by the Chaldean Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East. This patriarchate was already long in loose connection with Rome. Since Patriarch Mar Johann Shimun Sulaqa, consecrated in St. Peter's at Rome in 1553 to the bishop, there is a formal Church Union level and the Church under the Patriarch of Babylon is called the Chaldean Catholic Church.
Initially posted by the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon to India bishops were accepted by the Portuguese colonizers, the more they were able to establish their own rule there but more and more suppressed. As an additional means to pressure accused the Christians of St. Thomas and the heresy of Nestorianism, as they moved into their bishops from the Chaldean Patriarch or even earlier by the Assyrian Church of the East. From 1556 to 1569 officiated in India, with papal legitimacy, Mar Joseph Sulaqa, the biological brother of Patriarch John Shimun Sulaqa, as the Syro- Catholic Metropolitan of Angamaly. Already in the consistory of February 20, 1553 Cardinal Bernardino Maffei had given a speech on the occasion of the forthcoming presentation of the patriarch Johann Shimun Sulaqua, in which he explicitly attested to the so-called " Nestorians " Seleucia- Ctesiphon in and India; they wore only this term, in reality they are completely orthodox.
Regardless of Portugal initiated in India who never Konfirmierte of Rome and today classified as " robber synod " Synod of Diamper. With the help of the constructed Häresievorwurfs resulted in December 1599 from the subordination of the Metropolitan seat of Angamaly suffragan under the Latin Archdiocese of Goa. This in turn was under the sovereignty of Portugal; The Archbishop was also viceroy and episcopal appointments were made there only in agreement with the Portuguese crown. The last Archbishop of Angamaly appointed by the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch in India was Mar Abraham († 1597). He was followed by the Latin Jesuit Archbishops Francis Roz SJ († 1624), Stephen S. J. Britto († 1641) and Francis S. J. Garcia († 1659). Archbishop Roz had transferred the seat of the Diocese of Angamaly after Cranganore (now Kodungallur ). The Latin prelates were the Chaldean ( = Eastern Syrian ) liturgical against alien and tried to align it with their own Latin Rite. The traditional rite - now called the Syro- malarbarisch - has been more or less suppressed or Latinized strong.
The Oath of the Leaning Cross
The clashes between the Latin missionaries and the Thomas Christians culminated in the " oath from the Leaning Cross" ( Coonan Cross) in Cochin. This occurred because Archbishop Francis Garcia of Angamaly in addition to traditional Archdeacon started yet another, Latin vicar general for them. It ruled permanent dispute between Archbishop Garcia and Archdeacon Thomas Parambil, Head and leader of the Thomas Christians. The latter longed for a bishop of their own rite and the archdeacon led to this end, behind the back of the Archbishop an extensive correspondence with oriental patriarchates, making the situation was well known there. During this time a bishop was released in spring 1652 in Surat, on India's west coast, called " Atallah ". He came from Cairo, the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria and claimed to be sent to govern the Thomas Christians as Metropolitan of India by the Pope. Bishop Atallah reached Mylapore in August and wanted to, into what is now Kerala, go to the Malabar Coast. However, the Portugese held him in Mylapore and took him ultimately Cochin to Goa. Archdeacon Thomas sent petitions to the secular and spiritual authorities of Cochin, in which he complained that the Portuguese one dispatched by the Pope Bishop refused entry. On one therefore convened pursuant Diamper meeting the Thomas Christians, Bishop Atallah decided to accept only as metropolitans, if he was really sent from Rome, but otherwise rejecting it. This they wrote in advance to Archbishop Garcia, who replied that it was indifferent to him. He would not recognize Bishop Atallah, also not when he was sent by the Pope, as he came without permission of the King of Portugal. Later, the so-called Goan schism, it was partly even here about political power struggles that played into the ecclesiastical sphere. A large deputation of the Christians of St. Thomas, at the head of Archdeacon Thomas, eventually moved to Fort Cochin, to request a meeting with Bishop Attalah. Archbishop Garcia, himself a Jesuit and his coming from the same religious advisers, it refused to let Bishop Atallah come to the city because they feared a riot and were of the opinion, the Archdeacon also wanted to acknowledge the bishop, if he does not legitimize papal be. The negotiations would certainly led Syrian liturgy in the language that is not sufficiently understand both them and most of Thomas Christians and the procedure thus leave some room for fraud committed by the two main actors. Although several Latin priests and the Queen of Cochin for the reception Atallahs and the investigation uttered his legitimacy, the archbishop maintained his refusal. Atallah was allowed the ship, which was anchored far out there, do not leave, and no one could speak to him.
When the fleet finally ran out towards Goa, it came to the indignation of the Thomas Christians. They called Archbishop Garcia a " schismatic " because it prevents the installation of a bishop appointed by the Pope, and closed on January 3, 1653 in a demonstration in front of the St. Mary's Church of Cochin - Matancherry ( old town or the harbor area of Cochin), where they dew tied around the base of standing in front of the Church Cross to it clung together and solemnly swore, Archbishop Garcia and the Jesuits ( they called them " Paulist ", according to their main monastery of St. Paul in Velha Goa) to submit no more, the archdeacon recognize Thomas as the legitimate leader of their group and each to be considered as resigned from their caste, they do not connect to. Specifically they avoided doing the break with the Catholic Church. Among them leading member of the Bishop of Rome also later used Alexander de Campo - - Rather, most participants believed to defend the papal will against a disobedient Jesuit bishop, whom they regarded as schismatics.
The consequences
Archbishop Garcia and his backers Portuguese in Goa remained adamant, as well as the Thomas Christians. Europe was far and it took months or years until the thing in Rome was ever known. So the matter drifted into a schism that eventually led to the split of Indian Christians of St. Thomas in an autocephalous and a Catholic group which continues to this day. The Thomas Christians met on May 22, 1653 again in Edapally. There, put 12 ordinary priest Archdeacon Thomas Parambil ( Thomas de Campo) in a Notzeremonie hands on and watched him from now on " I. Mar Thoma " under the name as metropolitans of India. He even promised to make up for the episcopal ordination, which allegedly over 10 years later, in 1665 came to being questioned today whether it ever came about. Because of the " laying on of hands " and the proclamation of Archdeacon Thomas as " Metropolitan of India ," said Archbishop Garcia excommunication of him his group. When it became the final break with the Catholic Church, the protest group lost many followers.
1657 appeared in Kerala specially sent to curb the schism by the Pope Carmelite Joseph of Santa Maria de Sebastiani OCD. With the help of two local priests Chandy Parambil ( = later Bishop Alexander de Campo) and Alexander Kadavil he managed to bring the major part of the Thomas Christians back under the authority of Archbishop Francis Garcia. He died in 1659, and Father Joseph of Santa Maria de Sebastiani OCD in 1661, his successor; but only as titular archbishop and administrator of the Archdiocese of Angamaly, which was now located in Kodungallur. From Pope Alexander VII, he had given permission, if necessary, two Indian Christians of St. Thomas to consecrate bishops and vicars Apostolic order to. Already in 1663 had Archbishop Sebastiani leave his diocese, as the Dutch had defeated the Portuguese on the Malabar Coast and identified him. In order not to let his subordinate Thomas Christians without legitimate authority, he consecrated on 31 January 1663, shortly before his forced departure, Chandy Parambil (Alexander de Campo) in Kaduthuruthy titular bishop of " Megara " and appointed him Vicar Apostolic of Malabar. Thus, the Catholic group was established and it grew from today's Syro - Malabar Church, an Oriental branch of the Catholic Church with ostsyrischem liturgy rite.
The smaller autocephalous group was first to the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church ( in Kerala also known as " Jacobites " ), but had to give up their traditional East Syriac rite of the Thomas Christians, as it was for the consecration grant only westsyrische Bishops of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. From them the autocephalous Thomas Christians of India took forcibly the West Syrian Rite. The group split in the meantime several competing communities, where there were more efforts to enter into communion with Rome again. Not until 1930 that returned a part of them, while retaining the after " oath from the Leaning Cross" adopted West Syrian rite in the Catholic Church back, Syro - Malankara, the current Catholic Church, with around half a million members.
The Coonan Cross as a monument
When " Coonan Cross" it was an old stone cross in front of a church, as they are traditionally common in the Thomas Christians. Apparently it had been wrong, because it was known under the name " Coonan Cross", " or" crooked cross. " Today only stands the towering granite pedestal to which the cable should have been bound at the" Coonan Cross Oath ". , The stone- upper part is now replaced by a wooden cross, probably because it wrong level and this may become unstable was above the cross, a chapel was later built to protect for the autocephalous Thomas Christians, it is a place of pilgrimage, .. regardless of it belongs to the historical monuments of the Old Town of Cochin and is therefore also often visited by tourists.