Knanaya Church no' to ending endogamy

KOTTAYAM: The Knanaya Church is  heading for  a confrontation with the Catholic Church hierarchy over the endogamy issue, a practice under which the members of the same ethnic background marry one another.  Those who break the custom are excommunicated.   The Kottayam archdiocese has dismissed  the demand of the Oriental Congregation in Rome to do away with the practice and allow those who were excommunicated back into the Church.  

The archdiocese is planning to legally challenge the direction and also  approach the Pope.  The  congregation, through a recent order sent to the bishop of the diocese of Chicago, Jacob Angadiath,  had asked him to take back those who were excommunicated.  The Chicago diocese of the Syro-Malabar Church comprises 16 parishes of the Knanite community with over one lakh members in the US alone.  The archdiocese termed  the demand of the  congregation as unacceptable. "We will challenge the direction both legally and  at the hierarchy of the Church,"  said  Stephen George, president of the Knanaya Catholic Congress.

It was on the basis of the report by  Canadian Bishop Michael   Mulhal of Pembroke diocese  that the  congregation issued the  direction. Bishop Mulhal was entrusted by  Rome to study the issue  and present a report in 2015. The bishop filed the report after visiting the state and said the practice should be ended. The  Knanaya Catholic Naveekara  Samithi demanded the implementation of the report.    Mr T.O. Joseph, president of the Samithi,  told DC that endogamy should be done  away with and those who were ousted should be taken back. Among the Knanaya Catholic community numbering a few lakhs,  at least one lakh were excommunicated after they married those belonging to other denominations.