Leaders of the Syro-Malabar Church (SMC), getting ready to celebrate
the birth centenary of Pope Leo XIII, say the pontiff helped their
Church grow with a new identity.
“The Syro-Malabar Church remembers Pope Leo XIII with a deep sense of
gratitude,” says Father Raphael Ambadan, a Church historian in Kerala,
where the Oriental Church is based.
Pope Leo XIII gave the Syro-Malabar Catholics independence and freed
them from a Latin archdiocese’s control, the priest told ucanews.com
yesterday.
In 1887, the pope set up two vicariates exclusively for the
Syro-Malabar Catholics who trace their faith to Saint Thomas the
Apostle. For centuries these Catholics had been under Latin
jurisdiction.
Father Ambadan says the establishment of the vicariates “had a tremendous impact on the Syro-Malabar Christians.”
The SMC grew rapidly and in 1923 Rome set up a separate hierarchy for the Church.
“Thereafter, numerous dioceses and congregations came up,” Ambadan
said, adding that Pope Leo encouraged a missionary spirit among the
natives.
SMC now has some 3.5 million people spread across 29 dioceses, including one in northern America.
Father Ambadan, who teaches in St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary,
Alwaye, recalled the Pope’s observation about the future of the Indian
Church.
“My dear Indians, salvation should come through your own missionaries. You should not depend on Western missionaries at all.”
Father Alex Tharamangalam, rector of St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary,
Kottayam, says the Pope’s conciliatory attitude helped resolve
inter-rite disputes in the Indian Church.
“He always solved disputes through dialogue and love. His impact on
the Syro-Malabar Church is incalculable,” he told a seminar the Kerala
Church organized on Nov. 27 to mark the bicentenary.
Father Stephen Alathara, deputy secretary general of the Kerala
Catholic Bishops’ Council, told the seminar that Pope Leo had repeatedly
stressed the need for the SMC Catholics to follow their rituals and
practices instead of joining the Latin rite.
SIC: CTH/INDIA
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