Malankara Jacobite Syrian Christian Network
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Malankara Jacobite Syrian Christian Network
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Malankara's Mythical Minefields Nationalism and Ethnicity in the Oriental Orthodoxy The Myth of Autocephaly in Oriental Orthodox Churches Autocephaly for Self Assertion Salmoosa of Parumala Thirumeni The Catholicate vs. Mafrianate Patriarchal Authority in India Controversial St.Thomas Throne 1995 Judgment and the Honorifics The Canonical Position of Patriarch Abdul Messiah II
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Value Erosion Very Rev. Kuriakose Moolayil Corepiscopos Georgy's next 'myth' is expressed by his tears shed on the 'discrimination' shown to the post of the Catholicate in the universal Syriac Orthodox Church. He says that the name of the Catholicose is not remembered in the thubden in the parishes other than that of the Indian origin. He has given also a link to an article written by Mor Gregoriose of Aleppo. This article specifically says that the prerogatives of the Catholicose has yet to be arrived in the light of the peace talks between the two factions held after the 1995 SC judgment. This article was prepared during that time. It refers nothing to the exclusion of the name of the Catholicose in the thubden. It was a fact that when the canonical Catholicate was vacant the name Basilius was omitted in the thubden not only in parishes outside the Mafrianate but within the Mafrianate too. That happened in Malankara in the period after 1972 also. To refer to an authentic text of the Holy Qurbono you can see the Book of the divine liturgies, 'Anaphoras' published by Mor Athanasius Yeshu Samuel in 1991. This is an authentic and popular text of the Syrian Church, even used by many of the IOC priests. It is a bilingual text and on page 108 (English) Basilius is given with footnote as the name of 'the Catholicose of the East. I don't want to comment anything more other than to mention this document. Remembering the names of the prelates in the thubden is to pray for the living shepherds who tent and lead the spiritual flock. It is not a double faced act to pray for in the Qurbono and to fight with all other times. The IO people is still remembering the Patriarch Ignatius and is 'praying' for him in all Qurbonos and prayers but at the same time are mentioning him as ' Damascus' even by enlightened souls like Georgy and also by further degrading and disparaging terminologies by many others. I personally believe that those outside the Mafrianate are free to remember him or not to. It is better not to discredit by a double face as Indian brothers do now. Be cautious of the spiritual degradation and the ' value erosion' ! Next point of discussion is more clumsy. Hear him say, "It seems
that even the No.2 position granted to the Maphryono in the Syriac Church
cannot be
http://www.suryanikadim.org/english/metropolit/Metropolit.html Georgy has read and quoted the Syrian Orthodox Church Constitution and he has read there without ambiguity that the Catholicose is the second in rank in the Syrian Orthodox Church. But he further wants to go to the title of another site. Here he finds a reference to the meaning of the generally used term ' Patriarchal Vicar ' and he jumps with a conclusion that Mor Pheloxenose of Istanbul claims to be the 'deputy Patriarch'. This only means the 'deputy of the Patriarch'. But the partisan spirit and the eagerness to distortion compelled him to interpret it as 'deputy Patriarch' without reading the text portion. All 'Patriarchal Vicar' archbishops are the deputies of the Patriarch. You can read the following statement which clearly ratifies my explanation against Georgy. Anyone can verify the above link. I quote, " Upon the request of Syrian Committee of Istanbul he was sanctified as an Archbishop by Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius I Zekka Ayvaz on September 28th 1986, and he was assigned to Istanbul with the title of Deputy of Patriarch Mor Filiksinos Yusuf Çetin." I don't think Georgy read only the title of the page. He being a good reader and researcher should have read the first paragraph and what they meant by that. He is seen to 'drink the milk with closed eyes' like the cat in the adage. He plays with the word 'deputy'. If this is the case building of people like Georgy, what can we expect from the blind followers of this autocephalous church? The rights and privileges of the Metropolitans are clearly defined in the constitution referred by Georgy. He cannot use this reference to prove his contention other than his distortion of facts. Georgy next goes to list the Catholicoi of other churches as Heads of the Independent Churches. I quote, "Here is a list of the prelates of various Christian churches who take the title Catholicos. The listing is in no particular order: 1.)
Catholicos Dinkha IV (born 1935, elected 1976) 2.)
Catholicos Mar Addai II (born 1948, elected 1973) 3.)
Catholicos Karekin II (born 1951, elected 1999) 4.)
Catholicos Aram I Keshishian (born 1947, elected 1995). 5.)
Catholicos Ilia II (born 1932, elected1977) 6.)
Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews II (born 1915, elected 1991) This list prepared by Georgy is perfect. They are all titled Catholicoi even though many of them prefer to be titled as Patriarch. Some are more satisfied to be known as Catholicose-Patriarch. A closer look can categorize the above into three groups. 1. The group one can be titled as the heads of the Assyrian Churches known as Nestorians. They are separated Churches from the time of the Synod of Ephesus. As per canon we cannot pray together with them. Nos. 1 and 2 belong to this group. 2. The second group is the one belonging to the Chalcedonean Orthodox family. He belongs to entirely one another family of Churches, not in communion with us, whose ecclesiology and theology are not comparable to ours. The fifth in the list belongs to this group. 3. The Catholicoi in the 3rd group are the two wings of the Armenian Church. They belong to our family of churches. They have much in common to us and much uncommon to ours. They use unleavened bread in the liturgy. Nomocanon refers to them with their differing practice. So also one of them has Patriarch under the Catholicose. So it makes clear that the practice and even the terminology of this church is not akin to ours. Comparing a title used in in another church to a post in our church is erroneous. In the Roman Church a Patriarch is much below the rank of a Cardinal. There a Catholicose is also below the Cardinal and is only equal to a Major Archbishop. Even in the Syrian Church the Metropolitan of Jerusalem had the title of the Patriarch. This title does not mean that he is equivalent to the Patriarch or Mafrian. So we cannot model all these Catholicoi cited above because they are not of our tradition and pattern. Either you have to accept that you were developing a new church hierarchy in 1912 as Very Rev.T.Mundukuzhy lately observed in the line of thinking of Fr.M.O.John. None can dispute such an action. It is your free choice. Then you should not rely on the 'authorization' of Abdul Messiah Bava and the continuity of the Mafrian of the East, etc. But the act of 1958 and the installing of 1964 all becomes a melodrama. If you stick on to this attitude the observation of Justice T. Chandrasekara Menon will be the final conclusion. You are free to hold any view but the problem comes only when you try to mix matters together by claiming Syriac Patrimony and different varied ecclesiology. At least you have to stop belittling the traditional Catholicate/Mafrianate in the Syriac Orthodox tradition. Next : Patriarchal Authority in India Original Posting of Mr. Georgy S Thomas in IOCN Malankara's Mythical Minefields-VI |
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