Catholic Church in India

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Catholic
OrientationEastern, Latin
ScriptureCatholic Bible
TheologyCatholic theology
PolityEpiscopal polity
GovernanceCBCI
PopeFrancis
President of
bishops' conference		Andrews Thazhath
RegionIndia
LanguageMultiple
HeadquartersNew Delhi
FounderThomas the Apostle
OriginAD 52 (1972 years ago)
Members20 million (1.55%)
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The Catholic Church in India is part of the worldwide

Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and 11 of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. Despite the very small population that Indian Catholics make up percentage wise, India still has the second-largest Christian population in Asia after the Catholic Church in the Philippines
.

All

Apostolic Nunciature by Pope Paul VI in 1967. Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli is the current Apostolic Nuncio named by Pope Francis on 13 March 2021. The Nunciature is located at 50-C, Niti Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi
.

Part of a series on
Christianity in India
Christianity in India
Communities
People
Denominations

Saint Thomas Christian denominations

Latin Catholic

  • Oriental Orthodox

Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

Independent Oriential Orthodox

Malabar Independent Syrian Church

Chaldean Syrian

Mar Thoma Syrian, St. Thomas Evangelical

Protestant denominations
Andhra Evangelical Lutheran, Assemblies Jehovah Shammah, Christian Revival Church, Church of North India, Church of South India, Garo Baptist, Indian Brethren, Indian Pentecostal Church of God, Church of God (Full Gospel), North Bank Baptist Christian, Northern Evangelical Lutheran, Methodist Church, Presbyterian, The Pentecostal Mission, Seventh-day Adventist, United Evangelical Lutheran

Organisations

History

Early Christianity in India

Nasrani
church established in 999.
Latin Church provinces and dioceses of the Catholic church in India. The dioceses making up a province have different shades of the same colour
Coromandel region
).
Main article: Saint Thomas Christians

Christianity reached India in AD 52 when

Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Oriental Church in communion with Catholic Church, following East Syriac
traditions.

Early missionaries

Madras region or "Country of St. Thomas". There he preached for thirteen months and baptised about one hundred persons. From there Monte Corvino wrote home, in December 1291 (or 1292). That is one of the earliest noteworthy accounts of the Coromandel coast furnished by any Western European. Travelling by sea from Mailapur, he reached China in 1294, appearing in the capital "Cambaliech" (now Beijing).[8]

Friar

Quilon
, proceeding thence, apparently, to Ceylon and to the shrine of St Thomas at Maylapur near Madras. He writes he had found the place where Thomas was buried.

Father Jordanus Catalanus, a French Dominican missionary, followed in 1321–22. He reported to Rome, apparently from somewhere on the west coast of India, that he had given Christian burial to four martyred monks. Jordanus is known for his 1329 "Mirabilia" describing the marvels of the East: he furnished the best account of Indian regions and the Christians, the products, climate, manners, customs, fauna and flora given by any European in the Middle Ages – superior even to Marco Polo's.

The

Quilon
. (Copies of the Orders and the related letters issued by
Quilon
are documented and preserved in the diocesan archives). In 1347,
Giovanni de Marignolli
visited the shrine of St Thomas near the modern Madras, and then proceeded to what he calls the kingdom of Saba, and identifies with the Sheba of Scripture, but which seems from various particulars to have been Java. Taking ship again for Malabar on his way to Europe, he encountered great storms.

Another prominent Indian traveller was Joseph, priest over Cranganore. He journeyed to Babylon in 1490 and then sailed to Europe and visited Portugal, Rome, and Venice before returning to India. He helped to write a book about his travels titled The Travels of Joseph the Indian which was widely disseminated across Europe.

Arrival of the Portuguese

In 1453, the

Asia Minor to Islamic Ottoman Empire, marked the end of the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantine Empire, and severed European trade links by land with Asia. This massive blow to Christendom spurred the Age of Discovery as Europeans were seeking alternative routes east by sea along with the goal of forging alliances with pre-existing Christian nations.[9][10] Along with pioneer Portuguese long-distance maritime travellers, that reached the Malabar Coast in the late 15th century, came Portuguese missionaries who introduced the Latin Catholic church in India. They made contact with the St Thomas Christians in Kerala, which at that time were following Eastern Christian practices and were under the jurisdiction of Church of the East
.

In the 16th century, the proselytism of Asia was linked to the

Jesuits, Augustinians
, etc.) flocked out with the conquerors, and began at once to build churches along the coastal districts where the Portuguese power made itself felt.

The history of Portuguese missionaries in India starts with the neo-apostles who reached Kappad near Kozhikode on 20 May 1498 along with the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama who was seeking to form anti-Islamic alliances with pre-existing Christian nations.[1][13] The lucrative spice trade was further temptation for the Portuguese crown.[14] When he and the Portuguese missionaries arrived they found no Christians in the country, except in Malabar known as St. Thomas Christians who represented less than 2% of the total population[15] and the then-largest Christian church within India.[1] The Christians were friendly to Portuguese missionaries at first; there was an exchange of gifts between them, and these groups were delighted at their common faith.[16]

During the second expedition, the Portuguese fleet comprising 13 ships and 18 priests, under Captain

St. Francis Church
(founded 1506) using stones and mortar which was unheard of at that time as the local prejudices were against such a structure for any purpose other than a royal palace or a temple.

Primate of the East

In the beginning of the 16th century, the whole of the

Funchal, with a jurisdiction extending potentially over all past and future conquests from the Cape of Good Hope to China
.

Portuguese explorers arrived in Chennai in 1523 and built the

Neo Gothic. It was made a basilica in 1927 by Pope Pius XII
.

Around 1540, missionaries from the newly founded

Goan Inquisition but the tribunal was set up only in 1560.[18][19]

In 1557,

Goa
and its boundaries extended to almost half of the world: from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, to Burma, China and Japan in East Asia. In 1576 the suffragan See of Macao (China) was added; and in 1588, that of Funai in Japan.

The death of the last

West Syrian theological and liturgical tradition of Mar Gregorios became known as Jacobites. The ones who continued with East Syriac liturgical tradition came to be formally known as the Syro-Malabar Church
from the second half of the 19th century onward.

The

Diocese of Craganore
in 1605; while, in 1606 a sixth suffragan see to Goa was established at San Thome, Mylapore, near the modern Madras. The suffragan sees added later to Goa were the prelacy of Mozambique (1612) and in 1690 two other sees at Peking and Nanking in China.

Missionary work progressed on a large scale along the western coasts, chiefly in

Portuguese Chittagong
, and beyond Bengal in the East Indies. In the southern districts the Jesuit mission in Madura was the most famous. It extended to the Krishna river, with a number of outlying stations beyond it. The mission of Cochin, on the Malabar Coast, was also one of the most fruitful. Several missions were also established in the interior northwards, e.g., that of Agra and Lahore in 1570 and that of Tibet in 1624. Still, even with these efforts, the greater part even of the coast line was by no means fully worked, and many vast tracts of the interior northwards were practically untouched.

With the decline of the Portuguese power, other colonial powers – namely the Dutch and British and Christian organisations – gained influence.

18th century

Bettiah Christians, the northern Indian subcontinent's oldest Christian community, was established in the 18th century by Italian Christian missionaries belonging to the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, a Roman Catholic religious order.[22] The patron of the Bettiah Christian Mission was Maharaja Dhurup Singh, king of the Bettiah Raj in Hindustan, who requested Giuseppe Maria Bernini to treat his ill wife and was successful in doing so.[22][23] The Bettiah Christian Mission flourished under the patronage of the royal court of the Bettiah Rajas, growing in number.[22]

The Portuguese spread the Catholic faith in

Jesuits in 1773 the missionary expansion declined in India[25] along with the need for organisations within the Church in India.[24] Especially when the Vicar Apostolate of Bombay was erected in 1637[26] which was under the direct ruling from Rome, this caused misunderstanding between the Portuguese missionary and the Apostolate.[24] The Inquisition of Goa had caused strained relationship and mistrust with the Hindus of India.[19] The strained relations between the Church and the Portuguese missionaries reached a climax when in 1838 the Holy See cancelled the jurisdiction of the three suffragan Sees of Crangaqnore, Cochin, and Mylapur and transferred it to the nearest vicars Apostolic, and did the same with regard to certain portions of territory which had formerly been under the authority of Goa itself.[24] Finally in 1886 another concordat was established, and at the same time the whole country was divided into ecclesiastical provinces, and certain portions of territory, withdrawn in 1838, were restored to the jurisdiction of the Portuguese sees.[24]

Role in the Indian independence movement

On 30 October 1945 in the

religious freedom for both organisations and individuals; this came to be reflected in the Constitution of India.[27]

Social services

Mother Teresa

Concern with charity was common to

Catholics and Protestants, but with one major difference: whilst the former believe that salvation comes from faith in God which manifests itself in good works such as charity, the latter could not rely on such a possibility, since they believe that only one's faith is a requisite of salvation, and that one's works are insufficient to gain or lose salvation.[28]
Consequently, Catholic charitable efforts in India have been extensive.

In Portuguese India, for instance, Saint Francis Xavier and his fellow missionaries were especially careful to help the local charitable institutions by tending to the sick, both spiritually and physically, and performing other works of mercy.[28] The Jesuits' educational institutions have left a prestigious impact through their education institutions.[29] Education has become the major priority for the Church in India in recent years with nearly 60% of the Catholic schools situated in rural areas.[30] Even in the early part of the 19th century, Catholic schools had emphasised relief for the poor and their welfare.[31]

In 2019, Father Vineeth George, a 38-year-old Catholic priest, was awarded as the 'Best Citizen of India'. The title is an acknowledgment of his work with the marginalized in the north of the country.[32]

Statistics

Statistics for 2011[33]
  • Bishops: 126
  • Diocesan priests: 9,322
  • Religious priests: 6,765
  • Religious brothers: 2,528
  • Religious Sisters: 50,112
  • Colleges and schools: 14,429
  • Training Institutes: 1,086
  • Hospitals and dispensaries: 1,826
  • Publications: 292

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Factfile: Catholics around the world on BBC news.
  2. ^ "Statistics by Country". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  3. ^ Catholic Bishops Conference of India on CBCI website.
  4. ISBN 9781087913766
    .
  5. ^ Stephen Andrew Missick.Mar Thoma: The Apostolic Foundation of the Assyrian Church and the Christians of St. Thomas in India. Archived 27 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine Journal of Assyrian Academic studies.
  6. ^ Were these Christians infected with Nestorianism before 1599? on Catholic Encyclopedia entry on St. Thomas Christians.
  7. ^ Mar Thomma Margam by Pathikulangara Varghese Kathanar
  8. ^ Odoric of Pordenone (Nendeln, Liechtenstein, 1967), Henry Yule, trans. Cathy and the Way Thither vol. II, P-142.
  9. ^ "Byzantine-Ottoman Wars: Fall of Constantinople and spurring "age of discovery"". Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  10. ^ "Overview of Age of Exploration". Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  11. ISBN 1-58477-422-3
  12. ISBN 3-87294-202-6
    .
  13. ^ Britannica CD 97, S.V "Gama, Vasco da "
  14. ^ "Vasco da Gama collection". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007.
  15. ^ Megan Galbraith Catholic Church of India Responds with Leadership Field note on Glocal Health Council website. Archived 3 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ Mathias Mundadan, (1967), "The Arrival of Portuguese in India and Saint Thomas Christians under Mar Jacob"
  17. ISBN 978-0-521-35940-5
    .
  18. ^
    ISBN 3-87294-202-6
    .
  19. ^ a b Paul Axelrod, Michelle A. Fuerch Flight of the Deities: Hindu Resistance in Portuguese Goa Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 30, No. 2 (May, 1996), pp. 387-421
  20. ^ Frykenberg 2008, p. 93; Wilmshurst 2000, p. 343.
  21. ^ a b Synod of Diamper on Synod of Diamper Church website.
  22. ^ a b c John, Jose Kalapura (2000). Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Vol. 61. Indian History Congress. pp. 1011–1022.
  23. ^ "Bihar Christians have fostered faith harmony 250 years". Union of Catholic Asian News. 6 November 1995. Retrieved 14 November 2020. Cherubim John, a writer and historian, said the Bettiah community began after Italian Capuchin Father Joseph Mary Bernini cured the local queen of an "incurable" illness. The king donated 16 hectares of land later known as the "Christian Quarters" to the Capuchins. The king allowed Father Bernini, who was on his way to Tibet, to preach, and helped build a church next to his palace.
  24. ^ a b c d e India on Catholic Encyclopedia.
  25. ^ The Catholic Frontier in India; 16-17th century Archived 7 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine from The Free library.
  26. ^ "Archdiocese of Bombay". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  27. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8386-1021-3
    .
  28. ^ a b Isabel dos Guimarães Sá Catholic Charity in Perspective: The Social Life of Devotion in Portugal and its Empire (1450–1700) Journal of Portuguese History. Vol.2, number 1, Summer 2004.
  29. ^ Catholic education in India The New York Times, 6 June 1887.
  30. ^ Card. Toppo: "Education is the Churches priority mission and key to Indian development" Asia News.
  31. ^ J. Hutching THE CATHOLIC POOR SCHOOLS, 1800 to 1845: Part 1 The Catholic Poor-relief, welfare and schools Journal of Educational Administration and History, Volume 1, Issue 2 June 1969, pages 1 – 8.
  32. ^ "Padre Católico recebe o título de melhor cidadão da Índia by Diocese de Campo Limpo". Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  33. ^ "CCBI - The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India". ccbi.in.

Literature

External links

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