THE CATHOLIC-MALANKARA ORTHODOX DIALOGUE 145 zich tevens in voor de bevordering van THE CATHOLIC- godsdienstvrijheid in Griekenland. De orthodoxe Kerk van Griekenland MALANKARA ORTHODOX blijft zich op de voor haar sacrosancte DIALOGUE twee-eenheid van Griekendom en ortho- dox baseren. De kerklei- The tenth round of talks between the ding blijft zich als de morele garant van theologians of the Catholic and de Griekse natie opstellen. Tevens geniet the Malankara Orthodox Church was zij grote financiële en sociale voorrech- held at the Spirituality Centre, Kot- ten die zij niet van plan is op te geven. tayam, from 26th to 30th Octo- Voor de moderne tijd staat zij veel te ber, 1998. It is a high time to make an weinig open en de gelijkwaardige behan- evaluation of the activity of the Joint deling van andere kerken en godsdien- International Theological Commission sten in Hellas houdt zij tegen. Deze constituted in 1988 by His Holiness houding komt haar niet alleen op felle Basileos Mar , the kritiek te staan (ook vanuit het buiten- of the Malankara Orthodox Church. land), maar levert ook veel stof op voor Griekse kranten, televisieprogramma’s The first round of talks was in 1989 en cabaretuitvoeringen, met name links (22-26 October) at the Sophia Centre in het politieke spectrum. of the Orthodox Church at . Fr. E.R. Hambye († 1990) wrote a Bert Groen report about this meeting in the Chris- (Nijmegen) tian Orient.1 Among other things Fr. Hambye speaks of a dinner on the 26th at the Archbishop’s house, Changanacherry. ‘The chief guest was Matthews Mar Coorilos, Metropolitan of Quilon and the Catholicos Elect. The host, Mar , the Orthodox co-chairman of the meeting, Paulos Mar Gregorios and the chief guest spoke with such great ecumenical perception and fervour that one could almost believe that the communion between both the churches was just around the corner … Moreover, when the cake was brought on the table, the chief guest asked his neighbour, Fr. P. Duprey, to cut it together with him. Then, to the applause of all the guests,

1 Christian Orient, 10 (1989), 4, pp. 163-164. 146 KRONIEKEN and with a spontaneity that signified Persistent prejudices so much at the moment, Mar Coorilos In order that the theological dialogue (dia- put a piece of cake into the mouth of logue of truth) may be effective, dialogue the Vatican delegate. It was as if the of love (charity) must precede; it means between both the churches that there must be the necessary prepara- was almost settled. Let us firmly hope tions before we start serious theological and sincerely pray that it may be so dialogue.4 Dialogue should be based on without too long an awaiting.’2 But so the following ecumenical principles: far after ten years, the ‘marriage between 1. Consider the dialoguing churches as both the churches’ is not yet settled. equal partners. 2. Avoid outdated and The hope of the author and others still meaningless discussions on unimportant remains as an objective, and the prayer issues. 3. Do not try to convert the part- for unity continues daily. ners; do not brood over the past, but look to the future mission and unity, try The Christological agreement to understand the Christian mysteries During the first meeting itself the Com- together. 4. Concentrate on those things mission prepared a joint statement on which promote the unity of the churches . This common text con- and thus do service to the ecumenical.5 cerning the faith in the mystery of the Incarnate Word was submitted to the Prejudice still prevails in certain circles authorities of both churches and, after in Kerala. For example, some among their approval, was made public on June the Latin section of the 3, 1990.3 Many consider that it was still consider that the ancient St. Thomas the best Christological interchurch for- Christians were ‘Nestorian heretics and mulation recently agreed upon by schismatics’. They were brought to obe- churches. dience by the Goan Archbishop Dom Menezes at the of Diamper in From the second up to the tenth meeting 1599. During the recent tenth meeting, After the first meeting, there was a joint one of their representatives vehemently meeting every year, preceded by sub- defended the western missionaries of committee meetings. But so far the Joint the sixteenth century and outrightly Commission could not produce any denounced the St. Thomas Christians as document of substantial quality which Nestorian heretics.6 The Latin Catholics could be presented to the churches for approval. There were three subcommit- 2 Ibid., p. 164. 3 tees: on church history, on theology and Christian Orient, 11 (1990), 4, pp. on common witness. The church his- 197-198. 4 Ecumenical Directory, 1993, nos 172- tory committee looked into the history 182. of in Kerala. The subcom- 5 Compare The Vienna Dialogue, booklet mittee on theology dealt with various no. 6 (1995), pp. 88-102. theological issues; and the third one 6 J. Ochranthuruth, The Synod of Diam- looked into ways and means of com- per and its Impacts on Kerala Church (Cali- mon witness. cut, 1998). THE CATHOLIC-MALANKARA ORTHODOX DIALOGUE 147 in Kerala are going to celebrate the not only in statements but also in prac- 400th anniversary of the Synod of tice. The oriental Catholic churches Diamper next year (1999) in a very must be examples for the Orthodox solemn way. This is a blow to ecu- churches. One should feel confident that menical understanding among the in the Catholic communion, no church churches in Kerala. His Holiness John will be sidelined, ignored or excluded Paul II has prohibited the usage ‘Nesto- or restricted as a church. They should rian’.7 One should not blame all the not be presented as churches living at the western missionaries and the whole of mercy of bigger churches. The Ortho- on the basis of mis- dox look into the affairs of the oriental takes committed by some missionaries Catholic churches in and it is not of the sixteenth century. Today the impe- a good example or model for them. rialist powers have gone. We live in a They know very well how the two ori- free world and to continue to denounce ental Catholic churches are territorially the present leadership for the mistakes restricted and systematically impeded of the sixteenth century is unwarranted for giving proper pastoral care to their and improper. own faithful outside Kerala. As long as the rights of the oriental Catholic An example and a fear churches are denied, no ecumenical dis- Even in the Catholic communion, one cussion will progress seriously in India. notices some indiscipline in Kerala at Ten years have taught us this basic les- present. Even though supreme author- son. ity is in the Catholic Church, the litur- gical problems in the Syro-Malabar The full truth Church risk causing great scandal to Ecumenical dialogues aim at the whole many and might harm the cause of and full truth. No agreement for the Christ. Secondly, in the Catholic com- sake of momentary understanding will munion, the two ancient oriental native ensure lasting peace and communion. apostolic Catholic churches in India are This holds good in regard to history restricted to a very tiny corner of India and theology. Biblical kerygma cannot and are in practice denied the basic be diluted and historical truths cannot rights of a church, namely, the pastoral care of their faithful and evangelization. 7 ‘All the Christian churches must hum- Thirdly, although there is more talk on bly acknowledge their grave responsibil- collegiality, there is still fear regarding the ity for the marginalization and the suffe- way certain big churches act towards rings endured by the Assyrian Church smaller churches. As long as there is no throughout the centuries: the pejorative firm assurance that the rights of the ori- epithet ‘Nestorian’ (often synonym of her- etical) with which they have referred to ental churches will be respected, no this church until recent times, is no lon- strong move for convergence will be ger acceptable and must be definitely made manifest. The numerically insignif- abandoned.’ (Service d’information: Con- icant oriental churches, however, deserve seil Pontifical pour la Promotion de l’Unité to be accepted and treated as churches, des Chrétiens, N. 91 (1996), 1-2, p. 26.) 148 KRONIEKEN be compromised. A re-examination of asked pardon for the mistakes on the history has the purpose sole of recon- part of the Catholic Church. ciliation. That means, it is to purify the memory. Times have changed, circum- The history stances too, the persons involved are no After the arrival of St. Thomas in India more. We have today a new life situa- in 52 A.D., the Church of the St. tion, a new mission and we confront Thomas Christians lived as one church new problems. We live at the dawn of and one society. It used the East Syrian a new millennium. Our time is fast (Mesopotamian) . The leader of changing, fast moving and fast pro- the church was the . It was gressing. We have no time to brood over the one holy Catholic and apostolic past mistakes, spend our energy on them church of Christ. At the time of the and remain sorrowfully buried among Portugese arrival the bishops present them. We have to forgive and look for- here were from Mesopotamia. The last ward and march forward, having our one, Mar Abraham, died in 1597. The sacred goal in front of us. Otherwise we Portugese missionaries made this church will lose sight of our glorious mission. Roman according to the western men- tality of those days, imposed Latin bish- Purifying our memories is absolutely ops and made this church part of the necessary. John Paul II once said: Western Church. The missionaries pub- ‘There is need above all to dispel the licized in Europe that ‘this church was disputes and condemnations of the past Nestorian, and that they in the Synod far from our memory and confide them of Diamper (1599) brought it under to God’s mercy. We must set to work Roman obedience.’ In fact they subju- building a future together which shall be gated this apostolic church to their colo- more in conformity with Christ’s will nial interest. It led to the Coonan Cross for unity for all his disciples.’8 H.E. Car- Oath in 1653 which eventually led to dinal Willebrands made this comment the division of the one church into two on the same subject: ‘Such oblivion groups. One group continuing to accept ought to be extended also to all the the western missionaries and the other events and actions of this sort, all the opposing and eventually coming under misunderstandings and insults … The the influence of the Antiochene Syrian purifying and release of the memory is Orthodox Patriarch. often, in our day, the necessary pre- condition for any ecumenical commit- The separation was very gradual. It was ment. The pardon and reconciliation not based on any doctrinal issue but on must extend to the memory of the evil historical, sociological and psychologi- that has been done to one another in the past. Their memories have no further 8 Service d’Information: Secrétariat pour use except as a lesson, a sad experience l’Unité des Chrétiens, no. 59 (1985), 3-4, that must help us to prepare, in the pres- p. 4. ent, a better future.’9 The Decree on 9 Ibid., no. 25 (1974), 3, p. 12. Ecumenism10 and the recent have 10 Unitatis Redintegratio, 7:2. THE CATHOLIC-MALANKARA ORTHODOX DIALOGUE 149 cal reasons. Even though the faithful tury marked a turning point. It was dur- were in two camps, they continued to ing this period that there was real divi- use the same liturgy (reformed East Syr- sion and separation of the two com- ian Liturgy of Bishop Francis Roz) and munities. There were still no doctrinal in many places the same church build- issues involved. In spite of the episco- ings. The early Antiochene prelates who pal ban, the faithful of the two groups, happened to come here, did not intro- wherever they lived together, mingled duce the Antiochene Liturgy in all the and entered into marriage. So we can- churches. It was in 1876, at the Synod not pinpoint a date when the groups of Mulanthuruthy under the leadership got separated. The Antiochenes in the of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch Peter nineteenth century also did not intro- III, that the West Syrian Script and the duce any new doctrinal teaching here. West Syrian Liturgy were introduced in It was just a change of the liturgical the . The Patriarch usage. did all he could to make this church Jacobite (the name used at that time). Establishment of the Catholicate (1912) The Syrian Orthodox Patriarch and the The Syrian Orthodox Patriarch Abd al leaders of the time slowly instilled an Msih († 1915) established a Maphri- anti-Roman attitude in the minds of anate (Catholicate) for the Malankara the people. The revolt against the Jesuit Church in 1912. Following this event, Bishop, Francis Garcia, in 1653 at the this church was again divided into two was misrepresented groups, namely Patriarch’s Party (Bawa as a revolt against the Roman Pope and Kakshy) and the Catholicos’ Party the Roman Catholic Church. (Metran Kakshy). One group accepted the authority of the Patriarch Abdalla, The Protestant missionaries of the the other rejected his authority and Lutheran and Anglican communions established the Catholicate. This divi- who came here in the nineteenth cen- sion, unfortunately, continues even tury also had their role in alienating the today. These two groups had three major faithful and in instilling an anti-Roman civil litigations: the Vattippanakkes attitude. These Protestant missionaries (1913-1928), the Samudayakkes (1938- were committed anti-Catholics. They 1958) and Randam Samudayakkes were teaching in the recently established (1974- ). This internal problem also tells Malankara Jacobite Seminary and were upon the ecumenical involvement of preaching in their churches. On the the Malankara Orthodox Church. It Catholic part, the last Vicar Apostolic of affects its attitude to those claiming pri- Verapoly also played his part in this macies, whether Antiochene or Roman. process of alienation of the communi- ties, calling the group which was not Reunion movement (1930) under him ‘heretics and schismatics’. In 1930 Mar Ivanios († 1953) of blessed He gave orders not to communicate memory and Mar Theophilos, his suf- with them and not to have any engage- fragan († 1956), two prelates of the ment with them. So the nineteenth cen- Malankara Orthodox Church, entered 150 KRONIEKEN into with the Catholic Other divisions Church. This was less the result of the- There were other divisions in the ological dialogue, common statements, or Malankara Church in Kerala. The the influence of western missionaries. Thozhiyoor Church (1772) and the Mar Mar Ivanios was convinced that for the Thoma Church (1889) were separated full ecclesiality of a church, communion from the ‘Jacobite’ Church in Kerala. with the successor of Peter in Rome was The Thozhiyoor Church came into exis- necessary. He had ample proof for this tence following the action of a West in the liturgical tradition of the Syrian Asian Jacobite prelate, Mar Gregorios. Orthodox Church which he was using After the Mavelikara Synod where the and also in the historical books which Jacobites parted company with the he read. In addition, he initiated a reform Anglican missionaries in 1836, a lot of movement, a spiritual renewal in the people left the church and joined the Malankara Orthodox Church through missionaries. The Anglican mission- the Bethany Monastic Order (Order of aries were partly responsible for the for- the Imitation of Christ), which he started mation of the Mar Thoma Church after in 1919. Amidst the civil litigations the latter’s defeat in the civil litigations between the two factions of the church, with the Jacobites (1879-1889). The Bethany remained neutral, aiming at spir- divisions were also due to the excom- itual renewal through retreats, conven- munications and suspensions of the tions, etc. In modern language it was Malankara bishops by the Antiochene spiritual . By this he prepared Syrian Orthodox Patriarchs. Thus Patri- a better disposed , and the arch Peter III excommunicated Mathews Lord of mercies showered his gift of Mar Athanasios, Thomas Mar Athana- union upon them. From the result we sios and the Thozhiyoor Bishop Coo- can definitely say that it was God’s work. rillos in 1876. Patriarch Abdallah excom- In this century, this is the only ecu- municated the menical movement which was crowned Vattasseril Mar Divannasios in 1911 with success. It opened the way to full and Patriarch Yacoukb III suspended communion between the Malankara Augen Mar Timotheos in 1975. All these Church and the Catholic Church. Of divisions and excommunications affected course, Mar Ivanios and the Roman the attitudes of the Malankara Ortho- authorities were guided by the ecclesio- dox regarding other churches. Accord- logy of those days. We cannot blame ing to them, their church was a church them for not having the of subjugated and persecuted by foreigners, the Second Vatican Council. This divine whether West Asian or European, action, however, was diversely interpreted whether Jacobite, Catholic or Protes- by various sections of the Malankara tant. This attitude affects their ecu- Church. Some misrepresented it among menical relationships. the people and for some time there were hostilities between the Malankara Ortho- Oriental Orthodox churches dox and Catholic Churches. It is clear Some leaders of the Malankara Ortho- that any division is painful. dox Church took the initiative of bring- THE CATHOLIC-MALANKARA ORTHODOX DIALOGUE 151 ing the various non-Chalcedonian The faithful churches together. The five oriental In Kerala most of the faithful do not Orthodox churches had no common take the ‘theological differences’ of the head, no common tradition, except their theologians and church leaders seriously rejection of Chalcedon. There was no because there is no real difference in the liturgical, cultural, linguistic or national content of faith between the Catholic unity among them. Only the Copts and and the Malankara Orthodox Churches. the Syrians took part in the Council of The only ecclesiological issue left is the Chalcedon of 451. The Ethiopians later ‘Petrine Ministry’. The faith of the Syr- came under Coptic influence; the Arme- ian Orthodox and Catholic Churches nians changed their stand more than is the same. Between them is real com- once. Only in 1876 did the Malankara munion, although not full. That is why Church come under the jurisdiction of the leaders of both churches can say: the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch. At that ‘We are almost one church.’ The same time this church had not yet inherited can be said of the Malankara Orthodox the anti-Chalcedonian attitude of the Church, since no theological issue sep- Syrian Orthodox Church. All the West arates the Malankara Church from the Asian Churches were under the oppres- Catholic Church. None of them has sion of the Arabs and Ottomans. The ever touched the content of faith; hence Ethiopians and Armenians were for long the difference is just regarding formu- under Communist dictatorship. lation. On the basis of the agreement in faith and the sacramental structure The Malankara Church was the only of the church, the Syrian Orthodox and oriental Orthodox church in the free Catholic Churches made an agreement world. She has her own history; there- on interchurch marriage.11 This arrange- fore, in spite of the fact that she had ment functions very well in Kerala and adopted the West Syrian Liturgy, she elsewhere. could have taken an independent eccle- siological stand. Because of her joining Conclusion the oriental Orthodox family of In ecumenical discussions between the churches, she was forced to defend the Catholic and Malankara Churches all anti-Chalcedonian stand of the Syrians the above mentioned factors should be and the Copts. For more than 1800 taken into consideration. 1. History must years the Malankara Church did not be evaluated objectively. 2. In explaining have the ecclesiology of the oriental the apostolic kerygma one should not Orthodox churches. Now she has to be influenced by the present-day order defend the Syrian Orthodox position, and situation of the churches. The although this has long been in open kerygma should be explained in its total- conflict with that church. Her leaders say ity and in accordance with the teachings that they are in communion with the Syrian Orthodox Church but they have 11 Service d’Information: Conseil Pontifical been in civil litigation with her since pour la Promotion de l’Unité des Chrétiens, 1974. N. 84 (1993), 3-4, pp. 165-16659-161. 152 KRONIEKEN of the fathers. 3. Mutual recognition of salvation? Or shall we hand over the legitimate should precede divisions we have inherited from our any move for convergence and commu- predecessors to posterity? nion. 4. All concerned parties should be ready to forgive each other. Assurances Geevarghese Chediath should be given to avoid the repetition (Nalanchira, of mistakes committed in the past. 5. Thiruvananthapuram, Above all, the churches have a will and Kerala, India) earnest desire to enter into full and vis- ible communion.

The spiritual aspect of the communion should be taken into serious consider- ation. The gift of unity will be show- ered among a people spiritually pre- pared for it through conversion of hearts. This unity is God’s grace. The time and way in which it will be realised is beyond man’s calculations, but we have to prepare ourselves for it. Unless we do this, our discussions will be futile. Even after ten meetings one feels that not enough has been done in this line. It is good to ask: did our dialogue help us to have better ecclesial relationships? Did it bring the two churches closer? Many may give the answer in the neg- ative. This does not mean that we should be pessimistic. As Christians we must be men of hope. In Kerala, the churches, on the level of the faithful and the pastors are closer than one thinks. Then the question is, where is the lack of closeness? On the level of some theologians? The people in Ker- ala practise ecumenism in an advanced manner. Then who is pulling the churches backward?

Can we expect the churches in Kerala to enter the new millennium with a better relationship among themselves in Jesus Christ, the Captain of our