16th Century traditions, Traditions

Anil: If you don’t know anything about the history …

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Comment posted Some of the traditions and rituals among the Syrian Christians of Kerala by John Mathew.

Anil:

If you don’t know anything about the history of Christianity nor believe in it, then why do you bother to write such ignorant posts.

By population, the total number of believers of Syriac Christianity who are in communion with Rome (that is, they use the Syriac rites, but are in communion with the doctrines of the Church of Rome) far exceed the total number of Syriac Christians that are not in communion with Rome.
e.g.,
1. Maronites
2. East Syriac Chaldean Catholics
3. East Syriac Catholics in India
4. West Syriac Catholics in the Middle East
5. West Syriac Catholics in India

Except for #5, each one is a *huge* Church, whose populations (on their own) far exceed the total number of Indian Syrian Christians who are not in communion with Rome (the Orthodox in India).

So, by population, it is the Catholics who have more adherents who honor the Syriac traditions.

Now, in terms of history in India, the Koonen Cross revolt is not fully understood because it was not documented well. Were the Syrian Christians in India rebelling against Portuguese excesses, the Latin Rite, or the Pope of Rome.

The first two are certain. The last has little evidence. Why? Because before the Portuguese messed with the Indian Syrians, the Indian Syrians were already in communion with Rome via their on-and-off connection to the Chaldean Catholic Church (from the 1500s). And after the Koonen Revolt, the Indian Syrians were still a) using hybrid Catholic-Syrian rites, and b) still putting great value on whether a Syrian prelate came with Papal authority.

It was only after the Indian Syrians (the non Catholic faction) were more solidly in communion with their new head and their new Antiochian rite, that they started to shun the Pope of Rome.

In case there’s any doubt, I’m not a Catholic. But history is history.