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Presidential Address by the
Major Archbishop |
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Honourable Union Cabinet
Minister for Overseas Indian
Affairs Shri Vayalar Ravi, Your
Excellency Most Rev. Paul
Hinder, the Vicar Apostolic of
Arabia, Archbishops and Bishops
of the Syro-Malabar Church who
are present here, priests,
sisters and the representatives
of Syro-Malabar faithful from
all over the world participating
in this Global Meet 2006,
We are participating in an event of
great importance in the history of
the Syro-Malabar Church. For the
first time the representatives of
the Syro-Malabar faithful outside
the proper territory of our Church
in India and abroad are gathered
together with the entire Syro-Malabar
Hierarchy. His Excellency Bishop
Paul Hinder of the Vicariate of
Arabia under whose jurisdiction
there are tens of thousands of Syro-Malabar
faithful is present with us. Shri
Vayalar Ravi, Honourable Union
Cabinet Minister for Overseas Indian
Affairs is also present with us. As
the Head and Father of the Syro-Malabar
Church I joyfully welcome all of you
to this Global Meet.
Indeed, this is an occasion of great
joy for me, as the Major Archbishop
of the Syro-Malabar Church, to
welcome the representatives of her
children residing outside her proper
territory to the Head Quarters of
the mother Church here in this
Global Meet. I am sure that this is
going to be a great experience for
all of us. I congratulate Bp.
Gregory Karotemprel, CMI, the
Chairman of the Major Archiepiscopal
Commission for Evangelisation and
Pastoral Care, Bishop Vijay Anand
Nedumpuram, CMI and Bishop Mathew
Vaniakizhakkel, VC, the Member
Bishops of the Commission, Bp.
Sebastian Adayanthrath and the
organizing committee on the
successful conduct of the Global
Meet 2006. This event provides a
unique opportunity for each one of
you to know more about the Mother
Church and to share with one another
your struggles and difficulties for
living your Christian life in your
own proper ecclesial tradition. I
myself could witness to your great
interest and enthusiasm to remain
faithful to our liturgical and
ecclesial traditions when I visited
the Gulf States in December last
year.
It is the mind of the Second Vatican
Council and the two Codes of Canon
Law that the Oriental faithful
wherever they are in the world
should practise their faith in their
own ecclesial tradition of liturgy,
spirituality, theology and Church
discipline. CCEO c. 40 §3 says:
“Christian faithful are to foster
the knowledge and appreciation of
their own rite and are bound to
observe it everywhere unless an
exception is provided by the law.”
This provision of law is meant to
accomplish the desire of the same
Council which instructed that “steps
should … be taken for the
preservation and enlargement of the
individual churches throughout the
world,” (OE n. 4) so that the Church
may not only de iure but also de
facto appear to be Catholic,
enfolding all the different
apostolic and patristic traditions
under one Supreme Pastor, the
successor of St. Peter in the See of
Rome. While emphasising the
diversity and richness of each
individual traditions, the same
Council underscores the fundamental
equality of all Churches. “Although
individual churches of this kind,
both of the east and the west,
differ somewhat in what are called
rites, such as liturgy,
ecclesiastical order and spiritual
heritage, still they are entrusted
on an equal footing to the pastoral
guidance of the Roman Pontiff … the
same churches enjoy equal dignity,
so that none of them ranks higher
than the others by reason of rite,
and they enjoy the same rights and
are bound by the same laws, even as
regards preaching the gospel
throughout the whole world under the
direction of the Roman Pontiff” (OE
n. 3).
Unfortunately in the course of
history, especially in 1897 at the
suggestion of the then Apostolic
Delegate, the Propaganda Fide
restricted the jurisdiction of the
Syro-Malabar Bishops to a small
territory between Bharathapuzha in
the North and Pampa River in the
South. From then on all the Syro-Malabar
faithful outside this restricted
territory came under the
jurisdiction of Latin Bishops. The
territory was slightly extended in
the 1950s up to a few neighbouring
Latin dioceses in South India. The
Syro-Malabar faithful found in large
numbers outside this restricted
territory did not have any parish,
church or institution of their own
rite and had to live the Latin
ecclesial traditions for more than
50 years. This situation tended to
reduce their loyalty to and desire
for their own oriental ecclesial
traditions. The Second Vatican
Council laid down that “if for
reasons of circumstances, times or
persons” the Oriental Christians
“have fallen short of” their
fidelity to their own lawful
liturgical rites and way of life,
“they should have recourse to their
own age-old traditions” (OE n. 6).
It was this spirit that moved the
Holy See to extend the territory of
the Syro-Malabar Church in the 1950s
and give them a few mission
territories and in 1988 establish
the diocese of Kalyan for the over
1,00,000 Syro-Malabar faithful who
are in Maharashtra.
However, the same old situation
prevails in the rest of India and in
the Gulf Countries and in many other
parts of the world where there are
huge numbers of Syro-Malabar
faithful. In North America and
Canada where there are over 1,00,000
Syro-Malabar faithful, Pope John
Paul II established the St. Thomas
Syro-Malabar diocese of Chicago and
appointed the Bishop of this diocese
also as Apostolic Visitor of Canada
for the Syro-Malabar faithful. Still
there are many cities in Europe
where there are no Syro-Malabar
circumscriptions, although our
faithful are found there in great
numbers.
With regard to Europe, the Apostolic
Visitor Bishop Joseph
Pallikaparampil had given his report
to the Holy See with regard to the
pastoral care of the Syro-Malabar
faithful in Europe. But so far no
action has been taken based on that
report of the Apostolic Visitor. We
want a Bishop for the whole of
Europe. If proper jurisdictional
structures of the Syro-Malabar
Church are not in place, our people
will increasingly drift away from
their tradition.
In the Gulf States where there are
huge numbers of our faithful, we are
not yet able to provide adequate
pastoral care to them in their own
ecclesial traditions. But after my
visit to these Gulf States and my
personal sharing with the Ordinaries
of the Place, I am hopeful of better
prospects in this regard. The
presence of the Vicar Apostolic of
Arabia in this Global Meet itself is
a great sign of hope and indicates
the great interest he has regarding
the pastoral care of the Syro-Malabar
faithful under his jurisdiction.
There are some restrictions imposed
by the Holy See with regard to the
pastoral care of the Syro-Malabar
faithful in the Gulf region. Still I
believe that much more could be done
with regard to the pastoral care of
the Syro-Malabar faithful there even
while remaining within the
boundaries set out by the
restrictions imposed by the Holy
See. I am sure we will have occasion
to dialogue with the Ordinaries of
the Place of the Gulf region who are
present with us today and this would
pave the way for better arrangements
for the pastoral care of our
faithful in the Gulf region.
With regard to the situation in
India outside the proper territory
of the Major Archbishop, there is
not only the question of providing
for the pastoral care of the
hundreds of thousands of Syro-Malabar
faithful residing in the various
cities of India, but also the
question of the right and obligation
of our Church for the evangelization
of millions of non-Christians living
in the rest of our country. With the
appointment of an Apostolic Visitor
by the Holy See in the person of Mar
Gratian Mundadan, Bishop of Bijnor,
I hope much headway could be made
with regard to both these questions.
Here I would like to point out that
the preaching of the gospel, the
work of evangelisation is intimately
connected with the witnessing to the
Christian life and often is much
more powerful than direct preaching.
Therefore, in India every Christian
is to be a missionary, precisely by
living his Christian life more
truly.
The Syro-Malabar Hierarchy has made
several representations to the Holy
See, requesting for a more adequate
provision for the pastoral care of
our faithful outside the proper
territory of our Church, in India
and abroad. Last October I had
personally submitted a letter of the
Bishops of our Synod to the Holy
Father requesting him for the
establishment of the needed Syro-Malabar
dioceses in India, the gulf
Countries and in Europe. I also made
a personal request to His Holiness
to raise our Church to the
Patriarchal Status and to lift the
restrictions imposed on her
jurisdiction that have limited the
exercise of her authority to a small
territory in South India. I hope
there will be a positive response to
our legitimate request.
The Major Archiepiscopal Commission
for Evangelisation and Pastoral Care
of the Migrants, headed by Bishop
Gregory Karotemprel and ably
supported by the Member Bishops,
Bishop Vijay Anand Nedumpuram, CMI
and Bishop Mathew Vaniakizhakkel,
VC, is engaging in constructive
dialogue with the different
Episcopal Conferences and Local
Ordinaries to press for better
provisions for the pastoral care of
the Syro-Malabar faithful found
outside the proper territory of the
Major Archiepiscopal Church, in
India and abroad. The Commission has
met with varying degrees of success
regarding this matter. As a result
we have some personal parishes
established in Delhi, Bangalore and
Calcutta and some quasi parishes in
Chennai. Negotiations are underway
in Baroda and Hyderabad. In Europe,
some bishops of the Bishops’
Conferences of Scotland and Ireland
have shown their willingness to
appoint Syro-Malabar Chaplains
presented by the Major Archbishop
for the pastoral care of our
faithful there. We have a chaplain
appointed for the Syro-Malabar
faithful in Italy and a personal
parish in Rome. In Germany,
Switzerland, Austria, Australia,
etc. there are some Syro-Malabar
priests taking care of our faithful.
The pastoral care thus provided to
our faithful is not adequate and we
will continue to improve the
situation.
I am well aware that almost all of
you are living at present outside
Kerala, mainly in pursuit of better
economic prospects. But I wish to
point out to you that there is God’s
plan underlying your pursuits. It is
God who has placed you in the place
of your sojourn with a precise plan
regarding you and the Syro-Malabar
Church. God has chosen you to preach
the Gospel, through your life in the
countries where you are. As I
mentioned earlier, a life of
Christian witness is the greatest
proclamation of the gospel. When you
live your faith as a community of
Christians with special fervour and
depth received from your own
ecclesial tradition, it will
certainly produce greater results
than a mere preaching of the gospel.
I am happy to say that in USA after
the St Thomas Syro-Malabar diocese
of Chicago was erected for the Syro-Malabar
faithful, many are impressed with
the powerful witness they give at
present to the Gospel as a
community.
In conclusion let me quote from the
Pastoral Letter I issued for the
Syro-Malabar Migrants all over the
world on the occasion of the feast
of St. Thomas, our Apostle. “This is
a time of great dynamism and revival
for the different migrant
communities of the Syro-Malabar
faithful in the world. Having
realized the richness of their own
liturgical tradition and the
ecclesial heritage received from
their ancestors, they are now
consciously making every effort to
accomplish their legitimate rights
of spiritual growth and pastoral
care in their own ecclesial
traditions. It is a sad fact that
the teachings of the Second Vatican
Council, the directives of the
teaching authority of the Church
from time to time and the clear
provisions in both the Latin and the
Oriental Codes and the very recent
Instruction given by the Pontifical
Council for the Migrants and
Itinerant People, Erga migrantes
caritas Christi regarding the
pastoral care of the Migrants have
not yet been implemented in the
Church. We shall work together to
change this situation and to realise
for the Syro-Malabar Migrants in
India and abroad the freedom, rights
and privileges that are truly
envisioned by the Church. I exhort
you all to live, even making great
sacrifices, according to the great
proclamation of faith made by St.
Thomas the Apostle, our Father in
the faith: My Lord and My God! (Jn
20:28).” We shall do this remaining
always loyal and obedient to the
Holy Father, the Supreme Pastor of
the Universal Church. Let us not be
unduly disheartened over the
limitations and sufferings our Syro-Malabar
Church has to endure. This has been
our lot for many centuries. It is
through suffering that any Church
grows. With deep humility let us
thank God for his providence that
lovingly directs our history. The
plentiful priestly and religious
vocations that we have at present,
the several holy members of our
Church raised to the honours of the
altar, our strong faith and family
ties – are not these the gifts of
God? Seventy percent of the entire
missionary personnel for the Church
in India are the sons and daughters
of the Syro-Malabar Church. A number
of them like Sr. Rani Maria have
shed their blood while working in
the mission fields. While thanking
God for the present vitality of our
Church, let us pray to him that our
Catholic faith may not eroded by the
spirit of the modern world. I wish
and pray that the Global Meet 2006
will deepen our love for our Mother
Church, the Syro-Malabar Church and
the faith tradition handed over to
us by her through our forefathers
and strengthen our commitment to the
mission entrusted to us by our Lord
of witnessing to His Gospel wherever
we are, through our Christian life
fully in accord with our rich
ecclesial heritage and the authentic
magisterium of the Universal Church.
I wish you a pleasant stay
here and fruitful discussion that
will help the growth of our Church. |
