The Synod held from August 18 to 29, 2025, at Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad-the Major Archiepiscopal Curia of the Syro-Malabar Church-was of historic significance in the life of our Church, which was founded and nurtured through the apostolic mission of St. Thomas the Apostle.
The Syro-Malabar Church, an Apostolic Church spread across the world, presently comprises 35 eparchies and one Apostolic Visitation. Until now, the Church had five Metropolitan Provinces, all of them based in Kerala, though some eparchies in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were attached to them. However, the Eparchy of Hosur in Tamil Nadu was not part of any province. Hence, by the decision of this Synod, the Eparchy of Hosur was incorporated into the Metropolitan Province of Thrissur.
For years, the Synod has been reflecting on the pastoral need to bring the eparchies outside Kerala under Metropolitan Provinces in order to coordinate pastoral ministry more effectively and to strengthen missionary activity. The Synod of 2025 has now reached a definitive decision on this matter.
The existing archeparchies in Kerala are Ernakulam-Angamaly, Changanacherry, Thrissur, Thalassery, and Kottayam. Outside Kerala, the archeparchies are Faridabad, Ujjain, Kalyan, and Shamshabad. The unanimous decision of the Synod to restructure the ecclesiastical provinces was granted immediate approval by the Holy See.
The formal inauguration of the new Metropolitan Provinces and the enthronement of the Metropolitans will take place in October and November. Another significant decision of this Synod was the redefinition of the boundaries of twelve eparchies outside Kerala.
When the Eparchy of Shamshabad was established in 2017, its jurisdiction extended across 24 states and four union territories of India. With the establishment of Shamshabad and Hosur, the Syro-Malabar Church was entrusted with the authority to carry out pastoral ministry and to undertake missionary initiatives independently throughout India. This universal jurisdiction, once held by the St. Thomas Christian Church of India, had been lost in the sixteenth century. It was restored by the Holy Father through the apostolic letter issued on October 9, 2017, establishing the Eparchy of Shamshabad.
The establishment of the new Metropolitan Provinces and the redefinition of boundaries is the fruit of the prudent and unified exercise of this restored authority by the Syro-Malabar Church. Christ has given us both the command and the privilege to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt. 28:19–20).
Let us continue to pray that our Church, inflamed with apostolic zeal, may be granted the grace to fulfill this mission ever more fruitfully. May the Lord of all goodness bless us abundantly.
Bishop Sebastian Vaniyapurakal
