East Syriac (Chaldean)
From the Church of the East, which spread from Mesopotamia as far as India and China
Churches of this rite2
Chaldean Catholic Church
| Rite | East Syriac (Chaldean) |
|---|---|
| Apostle | St Thomas, with St Addai and St Mari, by tradition |
| Hierarchy | Patriarchal Church: a Patriarch with eparchies in the Middle East and abroad |
| Where | Baghdad, Iraq. Led by a Patriarch. |
| Dioceses | 23 |
| Members | About 647,000 |
Origins
From the Church of the East, based at Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Mesopotamia, and tracing its faith to St Thomas, St Addai and St Mari.
History
In 1553 Yohannan Sulaqa was confirmed in Rome as a patriarch in union with the Pope. The Church suffered greatly in the massacres of 1915 and after 2003, and when Mosul fell in 2014. Pope Francis visited Iraq in 2021.
Worship
The liturgy of Addai and Mari, in Syriac and Arabic.
Today
Many of its people now live abroad, in the United States, Europe and Australia.
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
| Rite | East Syriac (Chaldean) |
|---|---|
| Apostle | St Thomas, by tradition in AD 52 |
| Hierarchy | Major Archiepiscopal Church: a Major Archbishop with eparchies across India and abroad |
| Where | Mount St Thomas, Kochi, Kerala. Led by a Major Archbishop. |
| Dioceses | 35 |
| Members | About 4.5 million |
Origins
From the St Thomas Christians of Kerala, who by tradition trace their faith to St Thomas in AD 52, and who long received bishops from the Church of the East.
History
The Synod of Diamper in 1599 brought strong Latin influence, and the Coonan Cross Oath of 1653 divided the community. Pope Pius XI established its own hierarchy in 1923, and it became Major Archiepiscopal in 1992. Its saints include St Alphonsa, St Kuriakose Chavara, St Euphrasia and St Mariam Thresia.
Worship
The East Syriac Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari, in Malayalam and many other languages.
Today
The largest Eastern Catholic Church, with eparchies across India and the world, and rich in priests and religious.
| Population | About 5.2 million |
|---|---|
| Geography | Iraq and Kerala, with large communities in the Americas, Europe, the Gulf and Australia |
| Dioceses | 58 |
| Apostle | St Thomas, with St Addai and St Mari, by tradition |
| Liturgy | The Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari, with two other anaphoras |
| Language | Syriac, Arabic, Malayalam and Neo-Aramaic |
| Music | East Syriac chant, with hymns of Mar Narsai and other Syriac poets. Kerala keeps its own Suriyani chant tradition |
| Hierarchy | One Patriarch (Chaldean) and one Major Archbishop (Syro-Malabar) |
| Year | Begins with the Season of Annunciation (Subara), and is divided into seasons of about seven weeks |
History
This tradition grew in Mesopotamia and Persia, outside the Roman Empire, and carried the faith along the Silk Road to China and India. It separated from the West after the Council of Ephesus in 431. Part of it entered union with Rome in 1553. In Kerala, the St Thomas Christians kept their links with it until Portuguese times, then came the Synod of Diamper in 1599.