ECUMENICAL RELATIONS in India

By: Bar Lebnon

In the country of India, Christians are about 40 million of India's one billion populations. 

The Christian diversity is amazing: 
Protestant Evangelicals, Anglicans, Oriental Orthodox, Syriac´s and Catholics, (both Roman and Eastern).  For the most part, there has been little ecumenicity between the Christians.  However, with a $100,000 grant from the Vatican, a Shrine dedicated to St. Thomas the Apostle has been built in Nilackal, Kerala, which hopefully will contribute to a growing ecumenicity between the non-Catholics and the Eastern Catholics.  Nilackal is the site of one of the churches established by the Apostle, according to tradition. 

Even the government of Kerala got into the spirit by donating the four acres for the site. 

This Shrine includes a beautiful church/chapel, and space for meetings, conferences, and retreats. An ecumenical trust, made up of nine bishops belonging to four Churches, runs the Shrine.

When the Shrine was to be formally blessed, the bishops, using a common language for the occasion, jointly consecrated the Shrine.  The four Churches are:
 - the Malakara Orthodox Syriac Church of India
 - the Indian Syriac Orthodox Church
 - the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
 - the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.

All of these Churches trace their heritage to St. Thomas the Apostle and have valid Apostolic Succession.  The two Orthodox Churches are not in unity and communion with each other, but jointly have approx two million members, almost evenly split between the two.  The two Eastern Catholic Churches are in unity and communion with each other and with the Roman Catholic Church in India and with the Pope of Rome. 

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church has some 3.6 million members, whereas the Syro Malankar Catholic Church only has some 400,000 members. The Roman Catholic Church in India, which claims 11 million members, does not claim direct succession from St. Thomas, but rather St. Peter and the popes. 

Said one priest about the new Shrine, "There is nowhere else such a place for dialogue, retreat, and prayer!"  A bishop stated, "We should love one another.  We can talk about Jesus Christ without wounding each other. We can talk about prayers for the dead. We can talk about the intercession of the saints. There is unity in diversity."  The bishop explained that with Jubilee 2000, it became possible for the first time for one bishop to walk into another bishop's home and to march together publicly in the streets. Another priest stated that the Christians are mixing much better than 25 years ago, and he sees more intermarriage and cooperation.  (Sources:  Catholic Near East Welfare Agency World, Sep-Oct 2002; and the internet).