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SYRO-MALANKARA CATHOLIC CHURCH The Indian Church had an apostolic foundation in 52 AD through the evangelisation mission of St. Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. It came in contact with the Syro-Chaldean Church of the Middle East and consequently adopted the East Syrian Liturgy. The Portuguese extended the Padroado agreement in their evangelization programme over India and wanted to bring the Indian Church of the St. Thomas Christians under this jurisdiction. The Portuguese missionaries, ignorant of the Oriental traditions of the Indian Church, had the conviction that anything different from the Western Church was schism and heresy. Hence they wanted to Latinise the Syrian Christians of India. The initial resistance slowly gave way to discontentment, which ended up with the revolt in 1653 known as the Koonan Cross Oath. Thus, the one Church of the St.Thomas Christians was split into two. A large majority of the broken-away-group hesitated to sever ties with Rome and t

SYRO-MALABAR CHURCH The Syro-Malabar Church is an Apostolic Church which traces its origin to the Apostolate of St. Thomas who, according to the tradition, landed at  Cranganore in 52 AD and founded seven Christian communities at Palayur, Cranganore, Kokkamangalam, Kottakavu (Parur), Quilon, Niranam and Chayal. In the Nineteenth Century this Church was designated as the Syro-Malabar Church in the documents from the Roman Curia under which name it is known today. On December 21, 1923, the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy was established with Ernakulam as the Metropolitan See and Trichur and Changanacherry and Kottayam as suffragans. There are 36,74,115 faithful, with 7,252 priests (3,716 diocesan and 4,740 religious), and 36,611 women religious. http://www.smcim.smonline.org/ https://www.scribd.com/doc/298953769/Swamy-s-Symbols-of-India-Volume-1