Malabar Independent Syrian Church

The Independent Syrian Church of Malabar (English Malabar Independent Syrian Church ( MISC ) ​​) is an autocephalous and completely independent ancient Near Eastern Church of the West Syrian Rite. The seat of their metropolitans is Thozhiyur in the Indian state of Kerala, where there is also the main church, St. George's Cathedral. It is therefore also called " Church of Thozhiyur ": appointed ( Malayalam Thozhiyur Sabha ).

History

The Independent Syrian Church of Malabar traces its origins, like all the other belonging to the Thomas Christians churches, on the mission of the Apostle Thomas in South India back. Since the fifth century Christians there are proven, the initially adhered to the East Syriac rite. The Portuguese tried after their arrival in India, to insinuate these Christians of the Roman Catholic Church. Part of the South Indian Christians rejected these attempts. After the Portuguese tried to arrest the 1652 arrived in Mylapur Syrian Orthodox bishop Aithalla Theodore, they gathered beginning in January 1653 for a curse from the Leaning Cross ( Coonan Cross Oath ) and formed their own church. To consecrate the bishops according to the apostolic succession, they made ​​contact to the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, which was by the Dutch, who replaced the Portuguese as a colonial power, allows. In 1665, the Syro - Antiochian Metropolitan of Jerusalem, Mar Gregorius Abdul Jaleel reached on a Dutch ship Kerala and consecrated Mar Thoma I, who initially received only a Notweihe without the presence of an equal or higher rank after the bishop " oath from the Leaning Cross", according to the Apostolic succession to the spiritual leader of the non- united with Rome Thomas Christians, who were also called Kathanare.

The Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan of Jerusalem, Mar Gregorius, consecrated in 1766 and 1770 two bishops to the Metropolitan of Kerala. One of them, Bishop Cyril, who was consecrated as Mar Koorilose I. as Metropolitan, moved its headquarters in 1772 in the geographically isolated and also British ruled territory of Anjur - Thozhiyur. He told the believers who followed him there for independent and thus founded the independent Thozhiyur Sabha. Independence was finally confirmed by a 1862 in Madras judgment given against a representative of the Syrian Orthodox Church court ruling.

Presence

The church now consists of about 15 congregations with about 10,000 believers. They are predominantly located in Thrissur District in the Indian state of Kerala, there are also communities in Chennai, Coimbatore and Kochi. She runs a hospital and four schools and publishes a magazine.

The spiritual leader of the Church, the Metropolitan is elected by a church synod ( Sabha Mandalam ). Since 28 May 2001, this is Cyril Mar Basil I.

The church maintains strong ecumenical relations especially to other Indian Churches and Anglican church. In 1948 she agreed communion communion with the Mar Thoma Church, 1989 with the Church of England. Cooperation with the Mar Thoma Church goes back to the year 1893, when the MISC the Mar Thoma Church helped by the consecration of a bishop according to the apostolic succession from a crisis. Since then, the Mar Thoma Church supports the MISC in the choice of their bishops. After their church constitution, the MISC should look at internal difficulties, the support of the Metropolitan of the Mar Thoma Church, although neither is still with her in all points of the Church's dogmatic matches that of the Mar Thoma Church. This relationship between two independent churches is unique. After a journey of two English clergyman after Thozhiyur in 1991 formed a support group for the MISC within the Church of England.

Metropolitans

  • Abraham Mar Koorilose ( Kattumangattu ) ( 1771-1802 )
  • Geevarghese Mar Koorilose ( Kattumangattu ) ( 1802-1807 )
  • Skaria Mar Philexenos ( Cheeran ) ( 1807-1811 )
  • Geevarghese Mar Philexenos ( Kidangan ) ( 1811-1829 )
  • Geevarghese Mar Koorilose ( Kuthoorey ) ( 1829-1856 )
  • Joseph Mar Koorilose ( Alathoorey ) ( 1856-1888 )
  • Joseph Mar Athanasius. ( Maliyakal ) ( 1888-1898 )
  • Geevarghese Mar Koorilose ( Karumamkuzhi Pulikkottil ) ( 1898-1935 )
  • Kuriakose Mar Koorilose ( Kuthoorey ) ( 1935-1947 )
  • Geevarghese Mar Koorilose ( Cheeran ) ( 1948-1967 )
  • Paulose Mar Philexenos ( Ayankulangara ) ( 1967-1977 )
  • Mathews Mar Koorilose ( Kuthoorey ) ( 1978-1986 )
  • Joseph Mar Koorilose ( Alathoorey ) ( 1986-2001 )
  • Cyril Mar Basil I. (since 2001)
Thomas the Apostle Portugal Malankara Church
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