Pope Grants Wider Jurisdiction for Syro-Malabar Church

Crowning during a wedding ceremony in the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. The main celebrant is bishop Mar Gregory Karotemprel. (Wikimedia)

Pope Francis on Oct. 10 has removed administrative restrictions on Syro-Malabar Church by establishing two new dioceses and widening the church's jurisdiction all over India.

Until now, the authority of the Syro-Malabar Church was limited to Kerala.

Shamshabad in Telengana and Hosur in Tamil Nadu are the new dioceses established for Syro-Malabar Catholics in these areas.

The pope also nominated Bishop Raphael Thattil as the first Bishop of Shamshabad and Fr Sebastian (Joby) Pozhaliparambil as the first bishop of Hosur, according to a statement signed by Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, secretary general, Catholic Bishops' Conference of India.

Francis also extended boundaries of other two Syro-Malabar dioceses in Tamil Nadu—Ramanathapuram and Thakkala— to include areas not covered by the new Hosur diocese.

The announcements of the development were made at various places in India, reminding the bishops that the all India jurisdiction given to Syro-Malabar Church should help all dioceses to work together for the church's mission.