To My Beloved Knanaya Catholic Brothers and Sisters;
On my most recent visit to Kerala in Oct 2003, a Kerala politician said to me,
"Syro-Malabar Church politics are worse now than our Kerala State politics
are at present time." If this is true, my dear brothers and sisters, then
we are really in deep trouble.
The ethnic rivalry and selfishness of the politicians are now destroying the
state of Kerala without any concern for the common good of the community.
The same kind of ethnic rivalry and selfishness is very much
active among the Syro-Malabar Bishops in Kerala. The continued attempts made to
remove the Chief Minister of Kerala, A.K. Anthony, from office by his ethnic
rivals have interfered with this honest politician, from trying to help his
community. This is an example of the messy politics that have taken place.
After the Second Vatican Council at which I worked for two sessions, allowed
regional Bishops to select one among them. Because of this rivalry Bishops are
putting their personnel interests ahead of the common good of the Church.
Ever since 345AD, when a layman named Thomas of Kinai led the first missionary
expedition to Malabar to save the dying St. Thomas Christians; there have been
numerous hurdles. This expedition included Bishop Mar Joseph of Edessa (sent by
Catholicos of Seleucia), four priests, several seminarians and seventy-two
different Judeo-Christian families, from seven different clans. Up to now,
we've met all challenges with total unity, which is a birthmark of our Knanaya
heritage. As the founder of the first Knanaya Catholic Association of North
America I have watched with great interest the developments and the set backs
of our community everywhere. But now I am forced to break my silence because our
community is faced with a dangerous challenge by forces of evil, from both the
outside, as well as the inside.
Those who have knowingly and willingly left our community by marriage, as well
as their sympathizers, have joined with the outside forces of evil to attempt
to destroy our community. They have sent numerous letters of complaints to Rome against our practice
of endogamy, causing grace damage to our cause. They are the betrayers. Theirs
and our ancestors who fought valiantly, and sacrificed their lives for the
cause, must be turning over in their graves. All we can do for these departed
members of our community is to pray for them.
The priests who were sent by the Diocese of Kottayam to take care of the
Knanaya missions were spoiled by the generosity of our own lay people making
them too rich too fast. Some of them became greedy and for their survival they
are working for the Saint Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese instead of working for
the best interest of our community. Unfortunately some of our former top lay
leaders of our KCCNA put the leaders of the Syro-Malabar both here and in India, on such
a high pedestal, it gave them a perceived power which has caused irreparable
damage for our community, and has turned them against us.
Our first formidable challenge came from the Portuguese in the 16th Century,
when they refused to recognize our Syrian Rite, which was originally brought by
our Syrian Community to Malabar and blocked the arrival of Syrian Rite Bishops
from abroad. This refusal split the Knanaya Catholic community into two groups.
Some remained Catholics and others turned to the Jacobites.
In 1896, Pope Leo XIII created three Vicariates: Trichur, Ernakulam and
Changanacherry. These three Vicariates were for Syrian Catholics including
Knanaya Catholics. The Pope then appointed the first three Syrian Catholic
native Bishops. One was Mathew Makiel Bishop of Changanacherry. The majority of
the people in Changanacherry were Non-Knanaya, and were angry about the
appointment of Bishop Makiel, who was a Knanaya Catholic, and therefore
persecuted him for years.
After many years of suffering from the persecution of the Changanacherry
people; at the request of Bishop Makiel, and with the fervent support and
blessings of the Bishops, Mar Louis Pazayparambil and Mar John Menacherry; Pope
Pius X, created the Kottayam Vicariate. This new Diocese of Kottayam was
created exclusively for the Knanaya Catholic community, and since Pope Pius X
granted this request, neither Syro-Malabar hierarchy nor the Holy See can take
it away.
Today's problem that we, the Knanaya Community, began after the demise of a
great shepherd, the late Joseph Cardinal Parakkattil. As we all know, within
the last 20 years, not once but twice, the Holy See was forced to bring the
Leaders from outside the Syro-Malabar hierarchy, because of the inability and
lack of unity among the Bishops of the hierarchy. According to the Second
Vatican Council, it should have been one of the existing Syro-Malabar bishops
who should have headed the hierarchy, instead of those who were chosen. That is
why the former Bishop of Ootty Antony Padiyara and then again the former Superior of the Vicentian fathers; Rev. Fr. Varkey
Vithayathil were appointed to lead the Syro-Malabar Church
in Kerala.
Many attempts were made to have a new Diocese at Kannur where there are more
than 50,000 Knanaya Catholics live, all these attempts were vetoed by the
bishops and the hierarchy. They not only vetoed the new diocese; they tried to
restrict or revoke the personnel jurisdiction of the Knanaya Bishop of Kottayam
over his people, but failed. They have done, and continue to do everything to
destroy our Knanaya Catholic community.
We all know for a fact that the present Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil was not the
choice of Syro-Malabar Bishops. As the present leader of the Syro-Malabar
hierarchy, His Eminence Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil has the influence and the
ability to solve the problem faced by the Knanaya Catholic Community today,
that being a new Diocese for the Knanaya Catholic community in North America. And so we need to know if Cardinal Varkey
Vithayathil is with us or against us? If he is with us, he should stop playing
political games and publicly announce his support. Just as the first two native
bishops of Malabar, Mar Louis Pazayparambil of Ernakulam and Mar John
Menacherry from Trichure strongly supported Mar Mathew Makiel for the new
Diocese of Kottayam; we want the support of Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil. My
question is, will the Cardinal deliver us a new Diocese?
Throughout the centuries the Knanaya Catholic laymen have always taken the
initiative to solve the problems they faced. Now that we are confronted with
our very own existence, it is the leaders of the Knanaya Catholic Communities
throughout North America and Europe who must
continue the struggle until we succeed in bringing about a new Knanaya Catholic
Diocese for ourselves.
Months ago I strongly recommended to the top leaders of the KCCNA to organize a
massive petition from our community throughout North
America. They should send a memorandum to His Holiness Pope John
Paul II, and copies to the head of the Oriental Congregation, and the Papal
Nuncio in Washington D.C.
requesting a separate diocese for our Knanaya Catholic Community here in North America. At a minimum, we request an extension of
the personnel jurisdiction of the Bishop of Kottayam over his people worldwide.
With a simple stroke of a pen, the Holy Father can create separate diocese, or
extend the personnel jurisdiction of the Bishop of Kottayam, as did the late
Pope Pius XII in 1955.
I would challenge the lay people of the Knanaya Catholic community here to take
up the fight of this worthy cause, as did Thomas of Kinai in 345 AD. He made a
difference, so can you.
In the meantime I would encourage all Knanaya Catholic's to boycott all
dealings with the Saint Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago. Instead, attend local parishes where
you practiced for many past years before this situation emerged.