Church HistorySynod of Diamper

Syro Malankara Catholic Church

Why You Need To KnowIt is the gift of God that you know the TRUTH about

Jesus ChristHow did it come to YOU?Don’t take it for granted. Many people DIED and STRUGGLED for you to know

the TRUTH of Jesus Christ our Lord.WE ARE THE CHRISTIANS OF ST. THOMAS

Learn from the history of the churchNO MATTER WHAT, you are responsible to follow the

teachings of Jesus Christ amongst your church goers and leaders

The Holy Spirit guides the WHEAT of the church

Why You Need To KnowThere are splits from the Malankara churchYou should understand what our ancestors

stood for

Synod of Udayamperoor(Diamper)Was held to give Portugese and Western rule to the

Malankara Church

Separate the Christians of St. Thomas from the Chaldean Patriarch to the Latin Archbishop of Goa

Remove Syriac traditions from Malankara and replace with Latin

Held in 1599About 100 years after Columbus discovered the

Americas

The PlayersMalankara

Mar Abraham – Bishop of MalankaraArchdeacon Geevarghese – intended sucessor

of Mar Abraham

EuropeansBishop Menezis – Archbishop of GoaFrancis Roz – The First Latin Bishop of

Malankara Nazranies

Lack of Bishop Led to VulnerabilityMar Abraham wanted to ordain a new Bishop as his

successor before he diedWas prevented by intervention of Portugese

Mar Abraham appointed Archdeacon Geevarghese as the defacto ruler of the Church (he was NOT a Bishop)

The representatives of the faithful followers met and decided to protect the Syrian tradition and accept Syrian BishopsThey were opposed to the Portugese

Bishop Menezis’ MoveMenezis saw no Bishop was yet appointed and

came to KochiHe wanted to accomplish the following:

Protect the churchesBring Malankara under the influence of the Latin

ChurchTo force the acceptance of European bishopsTo remove Syriac traditions and replace with LatinTo destroy the old liturgical books

He thought they had FALSE DOCTRINESBring the Malankara Bishop under the Goan

Hierarchy

Bishop Menezis’ Influence OverpowersMenezis won the influence of local leaders

and kingsThis forced Archdeacon Geevarghese to accept

the instructions of Menezis.

He visited the churches of Malankara He administered sacramentsOrdained new priests

What is a Synod?Definition:

A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application.

Menezis Calls for a SynodWho attends?

Archdeacon GeevargheseVicars and Deacons of all the Malankara

churchesFour representatives of each parish

In Total 153 priests and 660 lay representatives participated

Synod ProceedingsChurch of Udayamperoor on 20th June 1599.Seven days in time duration

Synod ProceedingsBishop Menezis got what he desired:

Matters of faith and sacraments

The church was divided into 75 parishes and new Vicars were appointed.

The custom of appointing vicars was FORMALLY INTRODUCED into Malankara.

Only one problem for Menezis…This Synod was NOT approved by Rome.

Proper procedure and form was not taken.

This synod DIVERTED the path of the Malankara church, and had far reaching effects for the church of Kerala.

The Transformations of the Malankara ChurchWesternization of the Malankara church by

the PortugesePortugese did not understand the Syrian

tradition

Latin Bishops instead of Syrian BishopsThe new leaders did not know about the Syrian

traditions of MalankaraFrancis Roz – First Latin Bishop presiding over

Malankara

The Transformations of the Malankara ChurchVicar General instead of the Archdeacon

Managed the temporalities of the Church was appointed as in the Latin Church

Priestly celibacy was made mandatory

Liturgical changes

New Ecclesiastical Calendar Giving importance to the feasts of Saints

Confirmation and Eucharist stopped Malankara allowed after baptism even for an infant Latin allows when men have reached age of reason

Understanding the Intentions of the PortugeseThey had good intentionsUnfortunate misunderstandings and

misconceptions about Malankara church traditions

Hatred against Portugese missionaries increased

AftermathCatholic Encyclopedia

Malankara Rite is the ONLY rite which was forcefully Romanized

Due to the zeal of MenezisForever changed the Malankara Rite

To Be Continued…The Slanting of the Cross Oath