The Syro-Malabar Church, also known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church based in Kerala, India. It is a sui iuris (autonomous) particular church in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO). The major archbishop presides over the entire church. The incumbent Major Archbishop is Raphael Thattil, serving since January 2024. It is the largest Syriac Christian church and the largest Eastern Catholic church. Syro-Malabar is a prefix reflecting the church's use of the East Syriac liturgy and origins in Malabar. The name has been in usage in official Vatican documents since the nineteenth century.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanacherry (Syriac: ܐܦܪܟܝܐ ܪܒܬܐ ܕܫܢܓܢܐܣܐܪܐ, romanized: Afarkaya Rabbta d-Shanganasara; Malayalam: ചങ്ങനാശ്ശേരി അതിരൂപത, romanized: Changanassery Atirūpata) is a Catholic East-Syriac Rite archeparchy with an area of 24,595 km2 comprising the districts of Kottayam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, and also Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the largest Catholic dioceses in India in terms of area. Thomas Tharayil is the current Metropolitan Archbishop, serving from 2024.Suffragan eparchies of the Changanassery archeparchy includes Palai, Kanjirappally-Nilackal, and Thuckalay-Thiruvithancode.
The Eparchy of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic of Chicago, also known as the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago, is a Syro-Malabar Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its episcopal seat is the Mar Thoma Sleeha Cathedral in the episcopal see of Chicago.
The Archeparchy of Tellicherry is a Syro-Malabar Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archeparchy of the Catholic Church in India. The boundaries of the Thalassery ecclesiastical province were extended to include Mangalore, Chickmangalore, Mysore, Shimoga and Ootty as there were settlers in the neighbouring States. The diocese covers an area of 18,000 km² and a Catholic population of 273,826. Since 2022, Joseph Pamplany is the Metropolitan Archbishop.
The Eparchy of Idukki is an eparchy of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in southern India. It belongs to the ecclesiastical province of Eranakulam-Angamaly. Its cathedral church is Saint George's Cathedral Vazhathoppe, Idukki township, Kerala.
The Eparchy of Belthangady is an Eastern Catholic eparchy in Belthangady, India, under the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. It was established in 1999 by Pope John Paul II's bull "Cum Ampla". It is a suffragan diocese of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Tellicherry. The bishop of this diocese is Mar Lawrence Mukkuzhy. This diocese had been established for the Syro-Malabar Christians of three districts in Karnataka, namely Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Udupi.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Rajkot is an Eastern Catholic eparchy in India under the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. It was created by Pope Paul VI's Bull "De recta fidelium" in 1977, separating it from the Diocese of Ahmedabad. Its cathedral is Sacred Heart Syro-Malabar Cathedral, Rajkot.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Gorakhpur is an Eastern Catholic eparchy in India, belonging to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. The eparchy was erected by Pope John Paul II in 1984 through the Bull "Ex quo Divinum Concilium". Thomas Thuruthimattam was appointed bishop of Gorakhpur on 15 July 2006. He received his episcopal consecration on 1 October 2006 and assumed office on the same day.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Ujjain is a Syro-Malabar eparchy in India, part of the rite-specific the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.
This is a timeline of the history of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India.
St. Thomas Cathedral is the Syro Malabar Catholic cathedral of the eparchy of Irinjalakuda in India. It presently exists under the nomenclature and the Canonical Status as Cathedral in the Wake of the Origin of the New Eparchy, effected by the amalgamation of the two independent and important parishes of the locality, namely, St. George’s Forane Church and St. Mary’s church, which were amicably situated side by side for about a century.
George Alencherry is the Major Archbishop Emeritus of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church after serving in the position from 2011 to 2023. He is also a cardinal of the Catholic Church.
The Eparchy of Faridabad is a diocese of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in Faridabad, a city in Haryana, India. Erected on 6 March 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI it serves around 150,000 Syro-Malabar Catholics in the area of Delhi. Its first and current eparch is Kuriakose Bharanikulangara, with the personal title of archbishop. The eparch resides in Faridabad, where the Kristuraja Cathedral is located.
The St. Thomas the Apostle Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Melbourne is a Syro-Malabar Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in Australia. The eparchy was erected by Pope Francis on 11 January 2014. This is the second eparchy of the Syro-Malabar Church outside India, after the Eparchy of Chicago, and it has jurisdiction over Syro-Malabar Catholics in the entirety of Australia.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Mississauga is an eparchy for all Syro-Malabar Catholics in Canada. It comprises 72 parishes, which include both churches and missions, with churches or missions in all the provinces of Canada, and one territory.
The Eparchy of Great Britain is the sole Syro-Malabar Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in Great Britain. Its cathedral is Syro-Malabar Cathedral of St Alphonsa in the episcopal see of Preston, Lancashire. This eparchy is exempt, that is, not part of any ecclesiastical province in the Latin Catholic Church, but immediately subject to the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, under the supervision of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. It has jurisdiction over Syro-Malabar Catholics in the entirety of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. Most of the faithful of this eparchy are British Indians with heritage in Kerala, where the Syro-Malabar Church is historically based.
