LashayFmm33111: New New Stub!

2026-04-23T00:51:18Z

New New Stub!

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
[[File:Andrews thazhath, Trichur Archdiose.jpg|thumb|Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur]]
The '''Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur''' is the chief bishop and principal leader of the nearly half a million Syro Malabar Catholics now used to be the largest catholic diocese in [[India]], when it included the [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur]], [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Irinjalakuda]], [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palghat]] and [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Ramanathapuram]]. He is also the Archbishop of [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur]]. The title is more powerful as he is the custodian of [[St. Thomas Church (Palayur)]], where Christianity came to [[Indian sub-continent]], and have two saints, [[Maria Theresa Chiramel]] and [[Euphrasia Eluvathingal]] in the Archdiocese.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.tehelka.com/story_main33.asp?filename=Ne040807classic.asp
|title = Classic battle in Left bastion: Church vs State
|publisher = Tehelka
|accessdate = 2011-01-07
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120913023901/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main33.asp?filename=Ne040807classic.asp
|archive-date = 13 September 2012
|url-status = dead
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2415/stories/20070810504103200.htm
|title = Battle cry
|publisher = Frontline
|accessdate = 2011-01-07
|url-status = usurped
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080417021454/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2415/stories/20070810504103200.htm
|archivedate = 2008-04-17
}}</ref>

==Politics==

The Archbishop of Thrissur has been a vocal supporter of [[Christians|Christian]] politicians in [[Thrissur District]] and [[Kerala]] for a long time. But it has been staunch critic against the [[Communist Party of India]] and its policies in [[Kerala]] after [[India]]'s Independence. Later in this decade, the archbishop has emerged as an influential pressure group in [[Kerala]] politics by deciding seats from [[Kerala Legislature]] constituencies to [[India]]'s upper house, [[Lok Sabha]]. [[Thrissur District]]'s assembly constituencies like [[Ollur Assembly Constituency]], [[Chalakudy Assembly Constituency]], [[Manalur Assembly Constituency]], [[Thrissur Assembly Constituency]], [[Wadakkanchery Assembly constituency]] and [[Irinjalakuda Assembly Constituency]] have a significant [[Syro malabar]] population, which elect representatives to [[Kerala Legislature]]. [[Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency]], one of the 20 [[Lok Sabha]] constituencies in [[Kerala]], is also in [[Thrissur District]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.hinduismtoday.com/blogs-news/hindu-press-international/catholics-want-a-piece-of-kerala-s-political-pie/501.html
|title=Catholics Want a Piece of Kerala's Political Pie
|publisher=Hinduismtoday
|accessdate=2011-12-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Church-and-a-state/768970/
|title = Church and a state
|newspaper = The Indian Express
|accessdate = 2011-12-16
}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The trend started when Mar [[Joseph Kundukulam]], the first Archbishop of Thrissur, started friendship with the late former Chief Minister of Kerala, [[K. Karunakaran]]. It is alleged that archdiocese supported [[K. Karunakaran]] in his candidacy to the [[Kerala Legislature]]. This was the start of the bonding between [[Indian National Congress]] and the [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur]].
<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/KCBCs-condolence/article15607802.ece
|title=KCBC's condolence
|newspaper=The Hindu
|date=25 December 2010
|accessdate=4 September 2019}}</ref> After the death of Kundukulam, Mar [[Jacob Thoomkuzhy]] was elected as the next archbishop. But Thoomkuzhy was less interested in the [[Kerala]] politics. Later Mar [[Andrews Thazhath]] was selected to head the archdiocese. In 2007, he campaigned against Kerala Chief Minister [[V.S. Achuthanandan]] ruled Government against its policies towards [[Christian Church|Church]] and its institutions. He even threatened [[Communist]]-led Government telling that the Church may re-enact the "Liberation Struggle" of the late 1950s.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://hindu.com/fline/fl2415/stories/20070810504103200.htm
|title = Battle cry
|publisher = Frontline
|accessdate = 2011-12-16
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl = https://archive.today/20130125085302/http://hindu.com/fline/fl2415/stories/20070810504103200.htm
|archivedate = 2013-01-25
}}</ref>

==Oommen Chandy Ministry==
The relations between [[Second Chandy ministry|Oommen Chandy Ministry]] and [[Andrews Thazhath]] was not cordial. The trouble started when [[Indian National Congress]] and Kerala Congress decided to field [[P. C. Chacko]] for [[Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency]] in the [[2014 Indian general election]]. The Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur was not happy with [[P. C. Chacko]] as his performance was very low in earlier terms, that he is not a [[Syro-Malabar Church|Syrian Catholic]] and he was an outsider from [[Thrissur District]]. In 1991, [[P. C. Chacko]] won the [[Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency]] but ran away from the constituency fearing backlash. In 2009, [[Indian National Congress]] forced Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur to accept [[P. C. Chacko]] as the candidate. But in 2014, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur was enraged by the decision of [[Indian National Congress]] to field [[P. C. Chacko]] from [[Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency]] as it was looking for a person from [[Thrissur District]] and his lack of interest in the development of [[Thrissur]]. Even [[P. C. Chacko]] decorated high offices like [[Indian National Congress]] national spokesman and Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, he never thought about the development of [[Thrissur]]. Later on, [[K. P. Dhanapalan]] MP from [[Chalakudy (Lok Sabha constituency)]] was fielded from the [[Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.dailypioneer.com/sunday-edition/sunday-pioneer/nation/chackos-escape-brings-thrissur-into-focus.html
|title=CHACKO'S ESCAPE BRINGS THRISSUR INTO FOCUS
|publisher=Daily Pioneer
|accessdate=2014-08-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/highlights/story/congress-pt-thomas-pc-chacko-idukki-syro-malabar-catholic-church-184825-2014-03-13
|title=Congress bows to church: Drops PT Thomas, moves PC Chacko
|publisher=IndiaToday
|access-date=2014-08-13}}</ref>

==List of bishops and archbishops of [[Thrissur]]==

{| class="wikitable" style="width: 95%;"
|-
! colspan="4" style="background-color: #7F1734; color: white;" | Bishops and archbishops of [[Thrissur]]
|-
! style="background-color: #D4B1BB; width: 8%;" | From
! style="background-color: #D4B1BB; width: 8%;" | Until
! style="background-color: #D4B1BB; width: 22%;" | Incumbent
! style="background-color: #D4B1BB; width: 57%;" | Notes

|- valign="top" style="background-color: #F7F0F2;"
| style="text-align: center;" | 1887
| style="text-align: center;" | 1896
| '''[[Adolph Medlycott]] '''
| First and only Bishop from outside [[Kerala]] to be consecrated as the Bishop of [[Thrissur]] in the [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur]]. Consecrated on 11 December 1887, resigned in 1896, died on 4 May 1918.

|- valign="top" style="background-color: #F7F0F2;"
| style="text-align: center;" | 1896
| style="text-align: center;" | 1919
| '''[[John Menachery]]'''
| Consecrated on 25 October, died on 19 December 1919.

|- valign="top" style="background-color: #F7F0F2;"
| style="text-align: center;" | 1921
| style="text-align: center;" | 1942
| '''[[Francis Vazhapilly]]'''
| Consecrated on 6 July 1921, died on 12 May 1942.

|- valign="top" style="background-color: #F7F0F2;"
| style="text-align: center;" | 1944
| style="text-align: center;" | 1970
| '''[[George Alapatt]]'''
| Consecrated on 1 May 1944, died on 6 November 1973.

|- valign="top" style="background-color: #F7F0F2;"
| style="text-align: center;" | 1970
| style="text-align: center;" | 1997
| '''[[Joseph Kundukulam]]'''
| First Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur. Nominated on 4 June 1970, consecrated on 16 August 1970, died on 26 April 1998.

|- valign="top" style="background-color: #F7F0F2;"
| style="text-align: center;" | 1997
| style="text-align: center;" | 2007
| '''[[Jacob Thoomkuzhy]]'''
| Second Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur.

|- valign="top" style="background-color: #F7F0F2;"
| style="text-align: center;" | 2007
| style="text-align: center;" | Present
| '''[[Andrews Thazhath]]'''
| Third Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur.

|- valign="top" style="background-color: #F7F0F2;"
| colspan="4" style="text-align: center;" | <small>'''Source(s):'''<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://trichurarchdiocese.org/ContentPage.aspx?sid=52
|title=Former Bishops
|publisher=Trichur Archdiocese
|accessdate=2011-12-16
|url-status=dead
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712085942/http://trichurarchdiocese.org/ContentPage.aspx?sid=52
|archivedate=2011-07-12
}}</ref></small>
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{thrissur topics}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Archdiocese of Thrissur]]
[[Category:Archbishops of Thrissur]]
[[Category:Organizations with year of establishment missing]]

Metropolitan Archbishop of Trichur - Revision history

LashayFmm33111: New New Stub!