Thanks to Alfred de Tavares I googled the site below, - The other half of the Chaldeans which makes for interesting reading. I have posted it as there is a mention of Goa,
> http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03559a.htm > > > > IV. MALABAR CHRISTIANS > > The west coast of India exhibits since the sixth century a number of > flourishing Christian communities subject to the Nestorian Catholicos of > Persia. In the sixteenth century Portuguese invaders of India found on the > aforesaid coast over 200,000 of these ancient Persian or Syriac Christians, > who called themselves Christians of St. Thomas. They acknowledged their > dependence on the Nestorian Church for a long time, however, on account of > the dangers of travel and continual wars, their intercourse with it was only > intermittent. Most of the time, therefore, they were without bishops. The > clergy of Goa tried to annex them by a process of latinization, and the > Jesuits, successors of St. Francis Xavier, followed a similar policy, but > with much moderation and practical sense. > > After the above described renewal of relations between Rome and the Chaldean > Catholics, their procurator, Bishop Hormizd Elias, was sent to India (1562) > by the pope and the Patriarch 'Abdisho', with two Dominican missionaries, > one of whom was a bishop. 'Abdisho' ordained as Bishop of Malabar a certain > Joseph whom the Portuguese detained at Goa so that he was able to reach his > mission only after two years. In the meantime, because of urgency, a > successor had been named, Bishop Abraham of Angamale. This was the cause of > misunderstandings and disputes to which Pius IV put an end (1565) by > dividing the Malabar territory. This step did not greatly relieve the > anxieties of the United Chaldeans of Malabar. Bishop Abraham complained to > the pope "that the Fathers of the Society [of Jesus] and the Latin > Portuguese tried to withdraw him from obedience to the Chaldean patriarch > and to persuade him to demand the pallium directly from the pope. In this > way they sought to compel him to "conform to the Latin Rite and to turn over > gradually to the Holy See the administration of this province". The King of > Cochin himself asked from the pope (1576) for Bishop Abraham a safe-conduct > to attend at Goa the Provincial Council of the Indies, without fear of > imprisonment. In 1599, Alexis Menezes, Archbishop of Goa, convoked at > Diamper a celebrated synod, in which it was decided to unify the hierarchy > and to correct the rituals, missals, and other liturgical books of the > Malabar Christians in the sense of the Roman Liturgy. Portuguese authority > enforced these decisions on the Malabar Coast, but the policy eventually > failed. Many Catholics left the Latin Church and joined the Nestorians. A > little later (1603) the Jacobite (Monophysite) patriarch sent a bishop to > India, whereupon more than a hundred thousand Malabar Christians accepted > him with a view to the preservation of their liturgical (Syriac) tongue, > heedless of his Monophysitism, which was, no doubt quite unintelligible to > them. Owing to the Carmelite missionaries, who succeeded the Jesuits, nearly > 250,000 persevered in Catholic unity, and have remained to the present, > loyal to the Holy See and submissive to the Latin hierarchy though they have > never ceased their petition to be restored to the obedience of the Chaldean > patriarch. This re-affiliation has not been accorded them, even after the > Encyclical of Leo XIII "Orientalium Dignitas". The pope, however, has > withdrawn them from the jurisdiction of the Latin bishops and has given them > three vicars Apostolic of their nation and rite. These native bishops > administer the Dioceses of Trichur, Ernakulam and Changanachery, and are > directly subject to Propaganda (1897). This is only a provisional solution. > The Catholic Chaldeans of Malabar look always towards the (Catholic) > Chaldean patriarchs, who never tire of urging the extension of their > jurisdiction over the distant Malabar churches, historically united with the > Church of Persia and its legitimate representatives. Cheers, Gabe. > ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
