JOINT COMMISSION FOR DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 
AND THE MALANKARA ORTHODOX SYRIAN CHURCH

REPORT OF THE 1993 MEETING

Kottayam, 15-18 November 1993

The Commission for Dialogue between the Catho­lic Church and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church met at the Sophia Centre, near the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Theological Seminary in Kottayam, Kerala State, South India, from November 15-18, 1993.

Catholic members of the Commission were:

Bishop Pierre Duprey, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (Co-Presi­dent of the Commission)
Archbishop Joseph Powathil of Changanacherry
Archbishop Kuriakose Kunnacherry of Kottayam
Bishop Cyril Mar Baselios Malancharuvil of Sultan's Battery
Rev. Dr Clarence Gallagher, S.J., Rome
Rev. Dr Matthew Vellanickal, Kottayam
Rev. Dr Xavier Koodapuzha, Kottayam
Rev. Dr Geevarghese Chediath, Trivandrum
Rev. Bernard Dubasque, Rome (Co-Secretary of the Commission).

The Catholic Bishop Patrick D'Souza of Varanasi regretted his being unable to attend the meeting due to other commitments.

Malankara Orthodox Syrian members of the Commission were:

H.E. Philipos Mar Eusebios (Co-President of the Commission)
H.E. Thomas Mar Athanasios
H.E. Mathews Mar Severios
Rev. Ramban Theophoros
Rev, Dr Jacob Kurian;
Rev. Dr John Mathews (Co-Secretary)
Rev. Dr M. O. John
Rev. Johns Abraham Konat
Rev. Mathai Nooranal
Mr P. C. Abraham.

The Metropolitan Paulos Mar Gregorios, who had recently undergone surgery and is still convalescing, was unable to be present at the Kottayam meeting.

At the start of the meeting, a message of encour­agement from His Holiness the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews II (absent from India due to visits in the Gulf countries) was read by His Beati­tude Thomas Mar Timotheos, Catholicos appointed by the Patriarch to chair the first session of the Com­mission's work.

1. In its 1993 meeting in Kottayam, the Dialogue Commission first of all continued its study of the theme, "The Episcopate's function as a guarantee of Church unity". In this framework, various docu­ments were presented from the Sub-Commission in charge of making a detailed examination of the sub­jects: "The Local Church" (Fr Matthew Vellanickal); "Structure and Synodal Practices" (Fr M.O. John); "Autonomy and Autocephaly" (Fr Xavier Koodapu­zha). The Sub-Commission must now make an in­depth study of "Communion" (koinônia).

2. The Sub-Commission set up to study the theme, "The History of the Church in Kerala", pre­sented its report on "The Life and Ministry of the Church in South India before the Synod of Diamper (1599)" (Fr M.O. John). A project for the compilation of an inventory of the Christian heritage and for its preservation was also presented. Research will con­tinue with the intention of examining both the rela­tions between the Syrian East and the Malankara Church in the 15th and 16th centuries, and the reper­cussions on the Malankara Church of the arrival of the Portuguese in the region.

3. In accordance with last year's request, the Sub-Commission in charge of studying "mixed marria­ges" examined the matter again, with the intention of reaching an agreement on this important pastoral problem. The Sub-Commission's research will con­tinue for the whole of 1994.

4. A decision was finally taken to create a new Sub-Commission to study the theme, "The Common Witness of the Church in Kerala".

At the end of the meeting and during a dinner offered in honour of the Commission members, the latter expressed their gratitude to those in charge of the Sophia Centre for their brotherly welcome. The next meeting of the Mixed Commission for Dialogue between representatives of the Catholic Church and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church will take place in the Spirituality Centre of the Malabar Syrian Church in Kottayam, November 17-19, 1994.

[Information Service 85 (1994/I) 51]