Questions Concerning the Faith

Question 1:- Is there anything in the canons or laws or agreements that none of the Metrapolitains from Malankara can get elected as Patriarch of Antioch ?

Answer:- . According to the canons, any from the Church can become the Patriarch if he is elected. In the long history of the Holy Church, many of the Catholicoses (Mapfriyonos) of the East had later elevated to the highest order of the 'Patriarch', the supreme head of the Holy Church. This itself is an ample proof to the fact that the Patriarch is of superior order to the catholicose, which contradicts some of the recent private claims in Kerala that Catholicose & Patriarch are equal in status.

Question 2:- Do all the Bishops from Malankara get to vote in an election to elect a Patriarch.

Answer:- All the Metropolitans (Arch bishops) have the right to vote in the election of a Patriarch. This part is very clearly explained even in the modified constitution of the universal Church and was available in Internet until recently. The printed version is available in the Patriarchal cathedral and some other centres. There is also another special clause in the said constitution that the MetropoIitans under the direct juridscition of Patriarch must compulsorly retire (except the Patriarch & Catholicose) at the age of 75. Also all the bishops, must submit his property for the Church. Even the bishops of Simhasana Churches & EAE in India must abide by these laws. But in Malankara which follows a separate constitution, this has not been implemented yet. Here it is the local Church which have to decide on the matters regarding the retirement age etc. as they have an independant constitution. Earlier Thomas Athanasius of Kandanad (who is now in Methran faction) himself has requested for the immediate retirement of all the bishops (in both factions), including Catholicose Mathews II of Methran faction, who were then above 75. This news has been published in all the news papers in 1995; at that time he was in the Jacobite Syrian Church.

Question 3:-. Is it true that none of the Metrans from the Malankara Church are invited for the Synod at Antioch ? I was told that in one of the important Synods recently where the name of church was changed from Syrian Orthodox to Syriac Orthrodox none of our bishops from Malankara participated nor were invited.

Answer:- There are some false rumours spread by vested interested parties, that the Indian bishops are not invited always. In reality they are contacted when important decsions concerning the whole Church is to be taken. In the case of name change, the situation was very different. It has to be noted that the change in name was implemnted only in America which is under the direct juridisction of the Patriarch. (See the concerned news in SOR news page). This name change is not applicable even in Syria, other middle east countries or in India.

Question 4:- Is it true that Patriarch Mor Abdulla II, had converted to Roman Catholic Church and he returned to the mother church only when Mor Abdul Messiah lost the firman from the Turkish Sultan so that he could become the next Patriarch ?

Answer:- While it is true that Patriarch Abdulla II was there at RC churches for some time during the time of great persecutions as 'asylum' (details will be explained later), but he had never converted to that Church as claimed by my respected brothers in opposite faction, it is just to confuse ordinary people. Nowadays the opposite faction are cooking up such stories and tries to popularise it just like they manipulated the original version of "Madopadesasaram" written by Vattasseril Thirumeni. Now it is the manipulated version of the original text they are teaching in their Sunday Schools. In the original it is clearly written that it is the Patriarch of Antioch who is the supreme head of the Malankara Church. But in the republishing versions after 1970's they have changed it to "Catholicose is the supreme head of the Malankara Church". We will shortly publish the two versions in Malankara Voice.

source: [SOCM-FORUM] Digest Number 280

Question 4:-Is infant baptism in accordance with the will of God?

Question 5:- Should We Pray for the departed and seek their intercession?

Question 6:-Should we pray, 'Hail Mary, full of grace......'?

Answer:- These questions and more can be found on http://www.stignatious.com/40ques.htm

Question 7:- What does "Jacobite" mean and where did it come from?"?

Answer:- By the year 544, the status of the Syriac Church came to a low end when only three bishops remained. It was at this time that Mor Jacob Baradaeus appeared. Mor Jacob traveled to Constantinople for an audience with Empress Theodora, the daughter of a Syrian Orthodox priest from Mabbug, Syria, and wife of Emperor Justinian. Theodora used her influence to get Jacob ordained as bishop in 544. Later, Jacob would travel across the entire land reviving the Church. He managed to consecrate 27 bishops and hundreds of priests and deacons. For this, the Syrian Orthodox Church honors this saint on July 30 of every year, the commemoration of his death which took place in 578. A few centuries later, adversaries labeled the Syrian Orthodox Church 'Jacobite' after St. Jacob. The Syrian Orthodox Church rejects this belittling label which suggests that the Church was founded by St. Jacob.

source: The Syrian Orthodox Church "A Brief Overview"