THE demise of Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom, the retired senior metropolitan (head) of the Mar Thoma Church in Kerala, India, on May 5 (which was widely reported by the Malaysian media) has closed a colourful chapter of a bishop whose wit and wisdom added excitement and enlightenment to the people who attended meetings he addressed.

The people were drawn from all sections of society, whether in India or overseas by the goodwill and appreciation that he had for all religions, as was observed from the various personalities and leaders who paid their last respects and homage to this venerable icon of the church, reputed to be the oldest in the world and founded in AD 52 by St Thomas, one of Jesus Christ’s disciples.

I had the opportunity to hear his speech in 2001 during the annual Maramon Convention, one of the defining features of this Eastern Christian denomination.

Since his retirement in 2007, he has been actively participating in social and community activities and raising funds for the poor.

The metropolitan who succeeded him, Dr Joseph Mar Thoma, died last October, aged 89, and the reins of the Mar Thoma Church have been taken over by the current metropolitan, Dr Geevarghese Mar Theodosius.

The demise of the two bishops in quick succession has somewhat unsettled the Mar Thomites in India and abroad and it is pertinent in this new atmosphere to look at some of the issues facing the church.

The Christian population, especially the Mar Thoma communities, is declining in Kerala as a large number of the young and educated have migrated mainly to the Middle East, the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand and Singapore.

One finds mainly senior citizens attending Sunday church services. This is unique and without parallel anywhere.

Those who settled overseas remain loyal and faithful to the church and remit large sums of money that have launched many church rebuilding programmes in their parishes and have also enriched the church’s coffers.

The church, however, has invested the money mostly in building private educational and healthcare institutions, from which it derives plentiful dividends, instead of using the remittances for missionary and outreach activities among the poor, Dalits and tribal communities in India. Many have questioned the priorities of the church.

Another issue concerns the diaspora churches of the migrant communities.

The Malaysian Mar Thoma community is the oldest – close to a century old. Together with other Malayalees – Christian, Hindu and Muslim – Mar Thomites have been notable in the educational, administrative, judicial, journalistic and professional sectors, in addition to their main contribution in the plantation sector.

The later Mar Thoma migrants in North America, Europe and the Middle East have begun asserting themselves in their liberal atmosphere and are ill at ease with the strict and arbitrary control of the mother church in Kerala, which maintains its grip through the Diocesan bishops and priests who are solely recruited from Kerala.

Many of the newer parishes and younger generation feel that they need to have a bigger say in administrative matters and want to follow the local laws that will allow them a stronger legal standing.

Some parishes in the US have taken legal action to settle the matter. Since 9/11, numerous laws have been put in place in many countries to check remittances of money by religious bodies, and Mar Thoma churches feel that being legally registered in their respective countries will prevent suspicion and abuse.

The new Mar Thoma administration in Kerala needs to be less arbitrary and more flexible and allow the churches and parishes to follow the laws of the particular country and not insist on full (remote) control from Kerala.

The international mandalam (assembly) has not been effective in taking remedial measures against complaints and feedback from church representatives in India and overseas. Very much like the two late bishops who have left an impressive and lasting legacy for the Mar Thoma Church, the present metropolitan needs to act on the current issues facing his administration.

Mar Thomites the world over are looking forward to a new era of his transformative and pro-active leadership to guide the community in the years ahead.

His initiative in suspending a member of the Episcopal synod and acting against errant priests have gone down well with members.

The Covid 19 pandemic has also added to the challenges facing the church in India and abroad. Mar Thomites the world over are strongly behind the new metropolitan as he takes new measures, reforms and efforts to strengthen the church. – May 10, 2021.

* V. Thomas reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.