By Verghese V Joseph –
Last year this around this time, Holy Father Pope Francis granted the Santa Anastasia Minor Basilica in Rome, one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, to the Syro-Malabar Church. This was a significant achievement for the Kerala-based Syro-Malabar Church in India, l
On July 8, 2020, Cardinal Angelo de Donatis, the Vicar General of the Holy Father Pope Francis for the Diocese of Rome issued a decree assigning Santa Anastasia Minor Basilica in Rome, one of the oldest Christian churches and one of the oldest Minor Basilicas in the world to the Syro-Malabar Church.
This was made possible by Pope Francis’ special interest to designate a church for the community “without much delay.”
With this, Santa Anastasia Minor Basilica has become the centre of pastoral care of around 7,000 Syro-Malabar Catholics living in and around Rome. Originally from the State of Kerala in India, they belong to one of the 23 sui iuris, or self-governing, Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
The Migration Angle
In a reverse migration of sorts, this brings an ancient Eastern Christian community to an ancient church in Rome.
According to the Apostolic Visitation in Europe, twentieth century is a century of migration. The phenomenon of migration influenced the whole world and all human races and its political and religious establishments. The movement of people from East to West and vice versa and North to South and vice versa due to various political and religious reasons made the picture of the world entirely different to form something like a collage in art.
From globalization of merchandise, and money it developed into a globalization of people. It has affected also Christianity, especially the Catholic Church.
Numerous Syro-Malabar faithful, still continue to be scattered and isolated in different parts of Europe and world. The intention of the Holy Father Francis in appointing a Visitor Apostolic for the Syro-Malabar Catholics in Europe is clear from the instruction given to the Visitor.
On 28 July 2016 during the Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis nominated Stephen Chirappanath, Titular Bishop of Slebte and Apostolic Visitor for the Syro Malabar faithful in Europe.
The Apostolic Visitor Stephen Chirappanath was ordained bishop on 1st November 2016 at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. His Beatitude George Cardinal Alencherry, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly (Syro-Malabar) was the Principal Consecrator and His Eminence Leonardo Cardinal Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and Mar Pauly Kannookadan, Bishop of Irinjalakuda (Syro Malabar) were Principal Co-Consecrators.
Historical Perspective
According to Chev. Prof. George Menachery, a professor, anthropologist, indologist, historian of Syro Malabar Church and history of Kerala, world over there are three major groupings of Catholic rites based on the initial transmission of the faith — the Roman, the Antiochian (Syria) and the Alexandrian (Egypt).
Later on the Byzantine derived as a major rite from the Antiochian, under the influence of St. Basil and St. John Chrysostom. From these four derives, over 20 liturgical rites are present in the Catholic Church today, including the three rites present in the Indian Catholic Church viz. the Latin, the Syro-Malabar, and the Syro-Malankara rites.
According to John Burger, an award-winning writer and news editor at Aleteia, an interesting aspect is that there was trade between the Mediterranean and South India, even in the Roman period.
According to tradition and belief, the Church traces its origins to the preaching of St. Thomas the Apostle in India in the 1st century. The Latin-rite Christians of India and Kerala follow the Roman liturgy, introduced by European missionaries towards the end of the first half of the second millennium; while the other two Oriental Churches follow Syrian liturgies and customs, claiming their origin, along with half a dozen other Kerala-based Churches, to the apostolate of St. Thomas one of the 12 disciples of Christ.
The early Christians in India were also called Nazranis, meaning those who follow the path of Jesus of Nazareth.
When Portuguese explorers arrived in India in the 16th century, Latin-rite bishops took over local church administration, and eventually Western practices were imposed on the Thomas Christians. Some resisted this liturgical colonization and eventually affiliated themselves with Orthodox Churches.
The Syro-Malabar Church has a liturgy based on the East Syriac or Chaldean tradition while the Syro-Malankara liturgy is based on the West-Syriac tradition of the Jacobite-Orthodox Christians from whom they reunited with the Catholic Church in 1931 under the inspiration of Archbishop Mar Ivanios.
Raising the Status
In December 1992, Pope John Paul II raised the Syro-Malabar Church to the status of Major Archiepiscopal sui iuris Church. In 2004, the Holy See granted full administrative powers to the Syro-Malabar Church, including the power to elect bishops.
In May 2011 Cardinal George Alencherry was elected Major Archbishop, the first head of the Syro-Malabar Church to be elected by its Synod. Because of emigration, ecclesiastical structures have been established overseas, including in Chicago, Melbourne, Great Britain and Canada. There are altogether over 5 million Syro-Malabar faithful in India and throughout the world, says Burger.
The last quarter of the 20th century saw a continuous flow of Syro-Malabar faithful from India to America, Europe and Australia, according to the website of the Apostolic Visitation in Europe, a Church structure set up by the Vatican to care for the faithful of Eastern Catholic Churches who do not have a local bishop.
During their 2019 ad limina visit to the Vatican, Syro-Malabar bishops asked Pope Francis to provide a church for the growing community in Rome It is the special interest of the Holy Father that made it possible for the issue of such a decree without any loss of time. The efforts of Mar Stephen Chirappanath, the Procurator of the Major Archbishop in Rome and the Apostolic Visitator in Europe and his colleagues too were behind the speedy implementation of this request.
The church was built in the 4th century during the reign of Emperor Constantine. Until the end of the 7th century, several popes celebrated their Christmas Masses at the basilica. St. Jerome is said to have preached in the basilica.
Soon a priest designated by the Syro-Malabar Major Archbishop will be appointed as the Chaplain of the Syro-Malabar Catholics and the centre of the pastoral activities of the Syro-Malabar Catholics in Rome will be Santa Anastasia Minor Basilica.
Art and architecture
Traditionally, the church is connected to St Jerome and is depicted over the altar, by Domenichino.
It was Emperor Constantine who started the construction of this Basilica during the years between 325-326 A.D. Popes until the end of the 7th Century celebrated their Christmas masses in this Basilica. This church built in the baroque style is famous for its architectural splendour and decorative works.
The last restoration, after the restoration during the papacy of Sixtus IV, occurred in 1636, when the facade, with lower doric and upper ionic order, was reconstructed in 1636, after the cyclone of 1634. The nave is flanked by pilasters that incorporate Ancient Roman marble and granite columns, putatively from the former Temple of Neptune on the Palatine.