# Catholicos of India

The Catholicos of India, or Maphrian of the Syriac Orthodox Church, is the head of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church or Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, a Maphrianate of the Syriac Orthodox Church in india, functioning within the Church at an ecclesiastical-rank second to the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, and his name is commemorated in liturgy throughout the Syriac Orthodox Archdioceses in India and its diaspora. The position was renamed as Catholicos of India in 2002, in accordance with its actual jurisdiction.
Gregorios Joseph, the Malankara Metropolitan, was elected as Catholicos, following the death of Baselios Thomas I. He is set to be elevated on March 25, 2025, where he will be given the name Baselios Joseph I.

## Catholicos/Maphrian

The word is a transliteration of the Greek καθολικός (pl. καθολικοί), meaning “concerning the whole, universal or general”, a title that existed in the Roman Empire when the government representative in-charge of a large area was called 'Catholicos'. The Churches later started to use this term for their Chief Bishops.
'Maphriyono' (Maphrian) is derived from the Syriac word 'afri', meaning "to make fruitful", or "one who gives fecundity". This title may be used exclusively for the head of the Syriac Orthodox Church in the East. From the mid-13th century and onwards, a few occupants of the Maphrianate were referred-to also as 'Catholicos', but the title never came into extensive usage.
In the 20th century, when the office of the Maphrianate under the Holy Apostolic See of Antioch was re-established in India, the chief of the local church assumed the title 'Catholicos of the East', but his jurisdiction was restricted to India in the East. Later, in the 21st century (2002), the Maphrianate was renamed to 'Maphrianate of India', and the Maphriano Assumed the title 'Catholicose/Maphriano of India' as per the constitution of the church in India, officially known as "Catholicos of the East" as the Syrian Orthodox Constitution.
In the Syriac Orthodox Context, both Catholicose and Maphriano have the same meaning, and refer to the same office.

## History of the Maphrianate

When the office of the Catholicos of Selucia fell into the Nestorian heresy, St. Jacob Baradeus consecrated St. Ahudemmeh of Balad as "‘the Great Metropolitan of the East" in AD 559 to oversee the Miaphysite Orthodox community in Persia and outside the Roman/Byzantine Empire of which Malankara was a part of, functioning under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, later becoming known as the "Maphrian of the East" by the 8th Century. The Maphrianate was established in Tagrit, until the destruction of its cathedral in 1089. It then moved to Mosul, before it was abolished in 1860 by the Holy Synod of the Syriac Orthodox Church, presided by Patriarch Ignatius Jacob II.
Early Maphrians who are buried in Malankara include St. Baselios Yeldho, who is buried at Marthoma Cheriapally in Kothamangalam, Kerala, and St. Baselios Shakrallah, who is buried at Martha Mariam Church in Kandanad, Kerala.

## Reestablishment of the Catholicate in India

The origin of the Catholicate in India is filled with controversy. In 1912, the Malankara Metropolitan, Dionysius Vattesseril, was excommunicated by Ignatius Abded Aloho II. He went to the deposed Patriarch, Ignatius Abded Mshih II, and had him establish an autocephalous Catholicate. This formed the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. In 1955, following reconciliation talks with this faction, the Syriac Orthodox Synod decided to canonically re-establish the Maphrianate of the East. This culminated in the consecration of Augen I as Catholicos/Maphrian of the reunified church by the Episcopal Synod presided over by Patriarch Ignatius Jacob III. The church later split again in 1975, when the Catholicos claimed that the Malankara Church was independent, and the Maphrianate had hierarchical equivalence to the Patriarchate, and that the Patriarch had no authority in Malankara. This caused the Syriac Orthodox Synod of 1975 to excommunicate Augen I which caused the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church to split from the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch.
After the deposition of his predecessor, Baselios Paulose II was enthroned the Second Catholicose/Maphrian of Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church, by Ignatius Jacob III. After Baselios Paulose II's demise in 1996 the office remained vacant for several years to accommodate reconciliation attempts, which were unsuccessful.
In 2002, the Catholicos Baselios Thomas I was enthroned by Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas to be the head of the Malankara Archdiocese of Syriac Orthodox Church in India known as "Jacobite Syrian Church". His Beatitiude's official title was made Catholicos of India, due to its jurisdiction was in India of the East. As a result, since the time of Baselios Thomas I, the title of the Catholocose/Maphriano was modified to Catholicose/Maphriano Of India of the East of Jacobite Syrian Church Constitution as the jurisdiction of India unlike his predecessor Baselios Augen I and Baselios Paulose II, who was titled Catholicose of the East though their jurisdiction was only India. He functions at an ecclesiastical rank second only to the Patriarch, having the privilege to preside over the consecration of new patriarchs.
This Catholicate is headquartered at Puthencruz, Kerala, India. The Catholicos of India presides over the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Christian Association, the legal entity of Jacobite parishes in Malankara that unequivocally supports remaining within the Antiochian Patriarchate.
The Catholicos is not authorized to consecrate Holy Chrism independently without Permission of the Patriarch because of Hudaya Canon(Accepted only the Manuscript either not catholic canon or Malankara orthodox Church canon is called the Paris canon) of the Holy fathers. The jurisdiction of the Syriac Orthodox Catholicos of the East in India only, although he is often invited to preside over Syriac Orthodox functions abroad as an Indian, officially Catholicos of the East as per Syriac Orthodox Church Constitution.

## Authority

As the head of the maphrianate of the Syriac Orthodox Church in India, the Catholicos presides over the Holy Episcopal Synod of Jacobite Syrian Christian Church and second position in Syrian Orthodox Church after the Patriarch. He is allowed to consecrate bishops within his jurisdiction. The Catholicos is respected by the Syriac Orthodox Church worldwide, and having a higher rank than the other Metropolitans of the Syrian Orthodox Church, aside from the Patriarch, according to constitution of the Syrian Orthodox Church and Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church. His name is to be remembered after the Patriarch, by all churches under the Catholicate See and the Malankara Diaspora, as well as any church he attends.
The Authority of the Catholicos according to the Constitution of the Syriac Orthodox Church of 1998

### Article 8

* Second rank after the Patriarch.
* He is elected by only Metropolitans under the Jurisdiction of the Catholicate See.
* He is obeyed by bishops, priests, deacons and laymen of the church.
* Must proclaimed his "Name" after patriarch during Holy Mass and canonical prayers
* His name should be mentioned at every Syrian Churches where he attends the prayer.
* His title is "Catholicos of East and Metropolitan of Malankara"

### Article 15

* Mor Baselios Paulose II, the 2nd Catholicos of the East after its reestablishment in India.H.H Patriarch ordains the lawfully elected Catholicos and approves the election of all Metropolitans under the Catholicate See.
** According to the Hudaya Canon of Syriac Orthodox Church.

### Article 40

* His Beatitude the Catholicos presides over the Holy Synod electing the patriarch.

### Article 48

* His Beatitude shall celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Otherwise the Patriarchal locum tenes shall preside over a liturgy with all Metropolitans joining the service during the inauguration of the elected Patriarch.
According to the 2002 Constitution of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, his title became "Catholicos of India"

## Catholicate See

* Archdiocese of Malankara
* Simhasana Churches
* Malankara Syriac Knanaya Archdiocese
* Malankara Archdiocese of North America
* Malankara Archdiocese of Australia
* Diocese outside Kerala
* Patriarchal Vicarates outside India
** Kuwait
** Qatar
** Bahrain
** UAE
** Oman
** Saudi Arabia
** Yemen
** New Zealand
** Germany
** United Kingdom
** Canada
** Singapore
** Malaysia

## List of Catholicos of India

* 1. Augen I (1964–1975)
** Baselios Augen I was enthroned as the Maphrian/Catholicos and Malankara Metropolitan of Syriac Orthodox Church by Ignatius Jacob III, Patriarch of Antioch in 1964. He was later deposed in 1975 by Ignatius Jacob III.
* 2. Paulose II (1975–1996)
** Baselios Paulose II was enthroned as the Maphrian/Catholicos Malankara Metropolitan and of Syriac Orthodox Church by Ignatius Jacob III, Patriarch of Antioch.
* vacant (1996–2002)
* 3. Thomas I (2002–2024)
** Baselios Thomas I was enthroned as the Maphrian/Catholicos Metropolitan Trustee and of Syriac Orthodox Church by Ignatius Zakka I, Patriarch of Antioch.