Syro-Malankara Church Joyous To Install Its First Major Archbishop

A festive mood pervades the Syro-Malankara Church as the installation of its first major archbishop approaches.

Cardinal Ignace Mousa Daoud, prefect of the Congregation of the Oriental Churches, is scheduled on May 14 to install Archbishop Cyril Mar Baselios of Trivandrum as the Oriental Church´s major archbishop.

The Vatican elevated the Church to major archiepiscopal status this past Feb. 10. The installation ceremonies had been scheduled to take place on April 7 but were postponed following the death of Pope John Paul II on April 2.

According to Trivandrum archdiocesan chancellor Father John Kochuthundiyil, more than 50,000 people are expected for the installation ceremonies. They are to be held at St. Mary´s Cathedral in Thiruvananthapuram. The ceremonies will follow Oriental Church traditions and “have an Indian flavor,” Father Kochuthundiyil explained.

Catholicos-designate Baselios, along with Cardinal Mousa and Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana, will be taken in a chariot from the archbishop´s house to the cathedral, about 300 meters away. Hundreds of people will line the route holding lighted candles as well as the flags of India, the Catholicos and the papacy.

In accord with the traditional welcome for dignitaries, 2,000 women dressed in saris will throw flower petals as the chariot proceeds to the cathedral. Eight sets of “panchavadyam,” a traditional musical ensemble comprising five instruments, will greet the dignitaries.

Inside the church, the ceremonies will begin with the reading of the Vatican appointment. Cardinal Mousa will then invite Archbishop Baselios to accept the post and the major archbishop-designate will declare his allegiance to the Antiochean rite. The Malankara Church follows the liturgical tradition of the Antiochean Church, with which it was linked for centuries. Other Syro-Malankara bishops will seat Archbishop Baselios on a throne and lift it high three times. Each time, the gathering will chant “Oxios” in Greek, “He is worthy.”

After the installation, the Catholicos will bless the congregation and lead the rest of the ceremony. The Mass and other Oriental liturgies will be conducted in the Syriac language.

With this installation, the Syro-Malankara Church becomes the second ritual Church in India to enjoy major archiepiscopal status following the Vatican´s promulgation of the new Code for the Eastern Churches in 1990. This status gives the Church the right to govern its affairs. The other Indian rite, the Syro-Malabar Church, received such status in 1992. Among the 22 Eastern Catholic Churches, only the Ukrainian Church based in Ukraine has that status.

However, major archiepiscopal status is the second highest among the Eastern Churches. The highest is patriarchal that six of them now enjoy. There also are three metropolitan “sui juris” (self-governing) and 10 other sui juris Churches.

The Syro-Malankara Church, formerly part of the Orthodox Church, joined the Catholic Church in 1930. According to Orthodox Church traditions, Major Archbishop Baselios is to become catholicos, an Orthodox title equivalent to an archbishop in the Latin-rite Catholic Church.