Particular Law on the Participants of the Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Assembly

Ever since the number of eparchies in India and abroad, as well as the institutes of consecrated life increased considerably, the number of delegates to be invited to the Major Archiepiscopal Assembly also increased accordingly. The Synod on various occasions deliberated extensively on the necessity of reducing the number of participants so that the Assembly can be more effective and can achieve its established objectives. The Session II of the XXX Synod held from 16 to 25 August 2022, after extensive deliberations, decided to reduce the number of delegates in a proportionate manner and entrusted the Synodal Committee for Canonical Questions to propose the amendments to be made in the Particular Law of the Syro-Malabar Church.

The proposals were discussed in the subsequent Sessions of the Synod and finally Session III of the XXXI Synod held from 21 to 26 August 2023 discussed the fine-tuned text of the amendments and approved them reducing the number of participants of the Major Archiepiscopal Assembly for an effective and fruitful conducting of the Assembly while ensuring the proportionate representation of all sections of the faithful in it.

Since certain proposals for the amendments necessitated changes from the specifications given in canon 143 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, approval of the Apostolic See was sought by the Major Archbishop. The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, through its letter (Prot. N. 8/2014, dated 6 February 2024) communicated that the Holy Father Pope Francis granted the required approval to the changes proposed, indicating certain points for the perfection of the text of the law and directing to consult the Permanent Synod in finalizing the text. The Permanent Synod convened on 11 March 2024 approved the final text of the law to be promulgated.

Therefore, having fulfilled all the requirements envisaged by the law, the undersigned Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, in conformity with canon 112 §1 of CCEO, promulgate the following Particular Law of the Syro-Malabar Church, replacing Article 6 §§1-2 of the Statutes of the Major Archiepiscopal Assembly:

Article 6 Participants

§1. The following persons are the ex officio members of the Major Archiepiscopal Assembly:

1° eparchial bishops, titular bishops, including coadjutor bishops, auxiliary bishops and bishops emeriti except those above the age of 80, who do not have deliberative vote as per the motu proprio Iam Pridem dated April 16, 2023, as well as exarchs, apostolic administrators and apostolic visitators, if any (CCEO c. 984 §2), from both within and outside the territorium proprium of the Syro- Malabar Malabar Church;

2° protosyncellus from each eparchy and one syncellus from those eparchies where an auxiliary bishop is protosyncellus;

3° superiors general of the institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life of pontifical and major archiepiscopal right;

4° two superiors of monasteries sui iuris (one male and one female) who will be selected in the order of precedence of the year of establishment of the monastery;

5° superior general, one male and one female each, of the institutes of conse-crated life and societies of apostolic life of eparchial right from the eparchy of their origin, who will be selected by their eparchial bishop in the order of precedence of the year of establishment of the institute;

6° president of the Syro-Malabar Religious Conference (SMRC);

7° rectors of the synodal major seminaries;

8° two representatives of the rectors of all the other major seminaries belonging to eparchies or the institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life in the Syro-Malabar Church, in the order of precedence of the year of establishment of the seminary;

9° rectors of Syro-Malabar ecclesiastical universities/presidents of pontifical institutes; and,

10° president/vice president of interritual pontifical institute, who is a Syro-Malabarian.

§2. The following persons are to be convened to the Major Archiepiscopal Assembly as delegates sent by each of the eparchies whether inside or outside the territorium proprium of the Syro-Malabar Church:

1° one presbyter delegate from each eparchy having up to 300 presbyters; if there are more than 300 presbyters ascribed to an eparchy, that eparchy can send one more presbyter delegate;

2° two lay delegates, (one male and one female) from each eparchy having a population up to 100,000. If there are more than 100,000 faithful in an eparchy, that eparchy can send one more delegate each for every additional 100,000 faithful. The maximum number of lay delegates from an eparchy shall be ten and at least one third of them shall be women. Adequate representation shall be given to the youth and dalit Christians;

3° lay secretaries of eparchial pastoral councils; and one lay member of the pastoral council, selected by the eparchial bishop, from those eparchies where the secretary of the pastoral council is a priest;

4° three representatives of the catechists from all the mission eparchies proposed collectively by the bishops of the eparchies concerned and nominated by the Major Archbishop;

5° one lay representative of each of the Syro-Malabar pious associations and community associations to be chosen by the executive body of the said associations at the major archiepiscopal level and nominated by the Major Archbishop

6° one representative of the retreat centres in the Syro-Malabar Church nomi- nated by the Major Archbishop;

7° one deacon each from the synodal major seminaries, chosen by the deacons themselves, endorsed by their respective rectors and nominated by the Major Archbishop;

8° one representative each from the Syro-Malabar migrant communities where there is no Syro-Malabar jurisdiction, presented by the chairman of the Commission for Evangelization and Pastoral Care of Migrants and nominated by the Major Archbishop;

9° resident officials/secretaries of major archiepiscopal Commissions/ Commi-ttees at the major archiepiscopal curia and two nonresident secretaries nominated by the Major Archbishop; and,

10° members nominated freely by the Major Archbishop (not more than twenty) from among the priests, consecrated men and women, dalits, women, youth and experts in various disciplines.

All contrary dispositions notwithstanding.

Given this from the Major Archiepiscopal Curia at Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad on 25 March, 2024, the Feast of the Annunciation.

Mar Raphael Thattil
Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church

Fr. Abraham Kavilpurayidathil
Major Archiepiscopal Chancellor