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.
