LETTER OF THE HOLY FATHER POPE FRANCIS TO THE BISHOPS OF INDIA

Dear Brother Bishops,

1. The remarkable varietas Ecclesiarum, the result of a long historical, cultural, spiritual and
disciplinary development, constitutes a treasure of the Church, regina in vestitu deaurato
circumdata variegate (cf. Ps 44 and Leo XIII, Orientalium Dignitas), who awaits her groom
with the fidelity and patience of the wise virgin, equipped with an abundant supply of oil, so
that the light of her lamp may enlighten all peoples in the long night of awaiting the Lord’s
coming.

This variety of ecclesial life, which shines with great splendour throughout lands and nations,
is also found in India. The Catholic Church in India has its origins in the preaching of the
Apostle Thomas. It developed through contact with the Churches of Chaldean and Antiochian
traditions and, from the sixteenth century onward, through the efforts of Latin missionaries.
The history of Christianity in this great country thus led to three distinct sui iuris Churches,
corresponding to ecclesial expressions of the same faith celebrated in different rites according
to the three liturgical, spiritual, theological and disciplinary traditions. Although this situation
has sometimes led to tensions in the course of history, today we can admire a Christian
presence that is both rich and beautiful, complex and unique.

2. It is essential for the Catholic Church to reveal her face in all its beauty to the world, in the
richness of her various traditions. For this reason the Congregation for the Oriental Churches,
which celebrates its centenary year, having been established through the farsightedness of
Pope Benedict XV in 1917, has encouraged, where necessary, the restoration of Eastern
Catholic traditions, and ensured their protection, as well as respect for the dignity and rights
of these ancient Churches.

3. The Second Vatican Council embraced this vision of the Church and reminded the faithful
of the need to protect and preserve the treasure of the particular traditions of each Church.
“Moreover, within the Church particular Churches hold a rightful place; these Churches retain
their own traditions, without in any way opposing the primacy of the Chair of Peter, which
presides over the whole assembly of charity (cf. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Rom., Praef.), and
protects legitimate differences, while at the same time assuring that such differences do not
hinder unity but rather contribute toward it” (Lumen Gentium, 13).

4. As Lumen Gentium teaches, it is for the Bishop of Rome to promote unity in the diversity
of the Body of Christ. In this task, the Roman Pontiffs faithfully interpret and apply the voice
of the Second Vatican Council, which expressed the ardent desire that the Oriental Churches,
venerated for their antiquity, should “flourish and with new apostolic vigour execute the task
entrusted to them” (Orientalium Ecclesiarum, 1). Their responsibility is not only to become
ever more effective instruments of that “special duty of promoting the unity of all Christians,
especially Eastern Christians” (Orientalium Ecclesiarum, 24), but also to promote their “equal
dignity […] for they enjoy the same rights and are under the same obligations, also in respect
of preaching the Gospel to the whole world” (Orientalium Ecclesiarum, 3).

Thirty years ago, my beloved predecessor Saint John Paul II wrote a Letter to the Bishops of
India. Drawing on the Second Vatican Council, he sought to apply the conciliar teaching to
the Indian context. In India, even after many centuries, Christians are only a small proportion
of the population and, consequently, there is a particular need to demonstrate unity and to
avoid any semblance of division. Saint John Paul II also stated that the need for unity and the
preservation of diversity are not opposed to one another: “This need to be faithful to the
2 traditions and patrimony of one’s own rite must not be interpreted as an interference with the
Church’s task of ‘gathering into one the children of God who are scattered abroad’ (Jn 11:52)
or with the mission of the Church to promote the communion of all people with the Redeemer”
(Epistula ad Indiae Episcopos, 28 May 1987).

5. Five decades ago, when the Syro-Malabar Church expanded to some central and northern
parts of India with “missionary eparchies”, it was generally thought by the Latin Bishops that
there should be just one jurisdiction, that is, one bishop in a particular territory. These
eparchies, created from Latin dioceses, today have exclusive jurisdiction over those territories,
both of the Latin and Syro-Malabar faithful. However, both in the traditional territories of the
Eastern Churches, as well as in the vast area of the so-called diaspora (where these faithful
have long been established), a fruitful and harmonious cooperation between Catholic bishops
of the different sui iuris Churches within the same territory has taken place. This cooperation
not only offers an ecclesiological justification for such a solution, but also demonstrates its
pastoral benefits. In a world where large numbers of Christians are forced to migrate,
overlapping jurisdictions have become customary and are increasingly effective tools for
ensuring the pastoral care of the faithful while also ensuring full respect for their ecclesial
traditions.

6. In India itself, overlapping jurisdictions should no longer be problematic, for the Church
has experienced them for some time, such as in Kerala. Saint John Paul II’s Letter authorized
the erection of a Syro-Malabar eparchy in the Bombay-Pune region, which became the Eparchy
of Kalyan. In 2012 the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Faridabad was erected in the region of Delhi
and its neighbouring states, while the boundaries of the Eparchy of Mandya were extended in
2015 to include the metropolitan area of Bangalore. In the same year, an Eparchy and an
Apostolic Exarchate were erected for the Syro-Malankar faithful, so that by these ecclesiastical
circumscriptions the Syro-Malankar Church could provide pastoral care for its faithful
throughout the territory of India. All these developments show that, albeit not without
problems, the presence of a number of bishops in the same area does not compromise the
mission of the Church. On the contrary, these steps have given greater impetus to the local
Churches for their pastoral and missionary efforts.

7. In 2011 my predecessor Benedict XVI wished to provide for the pastoral needs of the SyroMalabar
faithful throughout India, and I confirmed his intention following the plenary session
of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in 2013. Archbishop Raphael Thattil is currently
the Apostolic Visitor for those Syro-Malabar faithful in India who live outside their own
territory, and he has provided detailed reports to the Apostolic See. This issue has been
examined in meetings at the highest levels of the Church. Following these steps, I believe the
time is now right to complete this process.
I have therefore authorized the Congregation for the Oriental Churches to provide for the
pastoral care of the Syro-Malabar faithful throughout India by the erection of two Eparchies
and by the extension of the boundaries of the two already in existence.
I decree also that the new circumscriptions, as with those already in existence, be entrusted
to the pastoral care of the Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly and to the Synod of
Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church, according to the norms of the Code of Canons of the
Eastern Churches.

8. I hope that my decision will be welcomed with a generous and peaceful spirit, although it
may be a source of apprehension for some, since many Syro-Malabars, deprived of pastoral
care in their own rite, are at present fully involved in the life of the Latin Church. I am
convinced, however, that all those involved will understand that there is no need for concern:
the Church’s life should not be disrupted by such a provision. Indeed it must not be negatively
interpreted as imposing upon the faithful a requirement to leave the communities which have
welcomed them, sometimes for many generations, and to which they have contributed in
various ways. It should rather be seen as an invitation as well as an opportunity for growth in
faith and communion with their sui iuris Church, in order to preserve the precious heritage of
their rite and to pass it on to future generations. There is already an instruction by the
Congregation for the Oriental Churches to the Eparchy of Faridabad, which indicates that a
member of the Syro-Malabar faithful, by virtue of the same law, is also a member of the SyroMalabar
parish where he or she is domiciled (Code of Canons of the Eastern
Churches, Can, 280 §1); yet at the same time, he or she can remain fully involved in the life
and activities of the parish of the Latin Church. No dispensation is required from the law
currently in force for the faithful to practice their faith serenely, and they may do this with the
pastoral care of either Latin or Syro-Malabar pastors (cf. Prot. No. 197/2014, 28 January
2016).

9. The path of the Catholic Church in India cannot be that of isolation and separation, but
rather of respect and cooperation. The presence of several bishops of the various sui
iuris Churches in the same territory will surely offer an eloquent witness to a vibrant and
marvellous communion. This is the vision of the Second Vatican Council, which I quote once
again: “Between all the parts of the Church there remains a bond of close communion whereby
they share spiritual riches, apostolic workers and temporal resources. For the members of the
people of God are called to share these goods in common, and of each of the Churches the
words of the Apostle hold good: ‘According to the gift that each has received, administer it to
one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God’ (1 Pet 4:10)” (Lumen Gentium,
13). It is in this spirit that I urge all the beloved Churches in India to be generous and
courageous as they witness to the Gospel in the spirit of fraternity and mutual love. For the
Syro-Malabar Church, this continues the valued work of their priests and religious in the Latin
context, and sustains their availability for those Syro-Malabar faithful who, although choosing
to attend Latin parishes, may request some assistance from their Church of origin. The Latin
rite Church can continue to generously offer hospitality to members of the Syro-Malabar
communities who do not have church buildings of their own. The cooperation among all the sui
iuris Churches should continue, for example in the area of retreats and seminars for clergy,
Bible conferences, celebrations of common feast days and ecumenical endeavours. With the
growth of spiritual friendship and mutual assistance, any tension or apprehension should be
swiftly overcome. May this extension of the pastoral area of the Syro-Malabar Church in no
way be perceived as a growth in power and domination, but as a call to deeper communion,
which should never be perceived as uniformity. In the words of Saint Augustine, who sang
the praises of the Trinity and of the wonderful communion of the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit, I also ask you: dilatentur spatia caritatis (Sermon 69, PL 5, 440.441). May there be a
growth in love, communion and service.

Dear brother Bishops, I commend all of you to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and
I assure you of my closeness in prayer. To all of you, the Church and the faithful in India, I
impart my Apostolic Blessing, and I ask that you pray for me.
From the Vatican, 9 October 2017

FRANCIS