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Thats great but were is it on the internet? I tried searching on Google for it with no joy.

ICXC
NIKA

The title comes by tradition, says Syro-Malankara Church
Thursday July 21 2005 13:55 IST

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Syro-Malankara Church Major Archbishop Cyril Mar Baselios has announced that the title of Catholicos is not to be conferred by the Vatican but comes automatically to a Major Archbishop in accordance with the tradition of the Syro-Malankara Church.

He was reacting to the letter written by Dialogue Committee President of Vatican Walter Cardinal Kasper to the Orthodox Church stating that the Vatican had not conferred the title of Catholicos on Cyril Mar Baselios.

Baselios told reporters here on Wednesday that according to the tradition of the Syro-Malankara Church, those who were being elevated to the post of Major Archbishop would automatically become a Catholicos.

The late Pope John Paul II had elevated him to the post of Catholicos in March-April last. �Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil of the Syro-Malabar Church had, in fact, referred to me as Catholicos at the meeting to felicitate me on my elevation to the post of Major Archbishop,� he said.

ICXC
NIKA

Christ is Risen!

I would think not, on both counts.

Andrew

"I would think not, on both counts."

Of course the same could be said of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch in Alexandria.

Fr. Deacon Lance

Christ is Risen!

I�m not quite sure that is so. Historically within Egypt I believe the Roman Orthodox Patriarchate has been associated with the Greek community. I don�t think the Copts ever felt like they were trying to take faithful from their flock. In that sense I don�t see a roadblock to those who do and don�t accept Chalcedon based on this Patriarchate.

Also, while it�s true that the Greek community is sadly disappearing in Alexandria, the Patriarchate actively is involved with the Orthodox missions in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is most definitely serving a purpose in forwarding the faith in that sense.

I'm not proposing the Coptic Catholic Patriarchate be dissolved, nor is it something that affects me. I simply think it probably does more harm than good in real terms.

Andrew

Probably both Coptic Catholic and Greek Orthodox Patriarchs should renounce the title in deference to the Coptic Orthodox Pope and simply be Archbishops.

From what I have read the Coptic Patriarchate was more or less created by accident. The Holy See thought that a Patriarchate was what was wanted by the Khedive of Egypt and went ahead and created one. It appears that this was not the case at all. I notice that the seat was left vacant for a long time in the 20 century.

ICXC
NIKA

I think I've mentioned this before, but, while I heartily support His Beatitude Cyril Mar Baselios's claim to the title "Catholicos", I find his reasoning a bit amusing:

This "tradition" in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, that all Major Archbishops of the Church automatically receive the title of "Catholicos", is certainly a very young tradition, since His Beatitude Cyril Mar Baselios made this statement less than a year after the Church got its first Major Archbishop. Wouldn't it make more sense if he said something like, "Because the powers and dignity of the Major Archbishop in the Eastern Catholic Churches are roughtly equivalent to the powers and dignity of the Catholicos in the Eastern non-Catholic Churches, we think it would more sense for the head of our sui juris Church to be called "Catholicos" rather than (or, at the very least, in addition to) the very western-sounding "Major Archbishop."?

Again, I think the title of "Catholicos" is entirely appropriate for the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malanakara Church (and I wish the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church would use the title of "Catholicos" as well!), but I find Cyril Mar Baselios's reasoning a bit ridiculous.

(Please understand that I mean no offence! If I have caused any, I apologize! OK, I'll be quiet now. )


Peace,
Alex NvV