It was in the 20th century when the title, “Catholicose” arose in India. As Saint Peter was considered to be the first Pope of Rome, Saint Thomas, the patron saint of India, was considered to be the first Catholicose of India. All the disciples of Jesus went to different corners of the world as was commanded by Jesus.

“And he said unto them, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.’” (Saint Mark 16:15)

As instructed, Saint Thomas came to India and established a church there. Now when Saint Thomas arrived in India, he elected certain people help him with the newly found church. After Saint Thomas died, his position of authority was passed down to a new prelate, but Saint Thomas and this newly elected official was not known as the Catholicose…yet.

It was in the 19th century that an official title was given to the current leaders of the church. It wasn’t the title Catholicose though, that happened much later. It occurred during the reign of Marthoma VIII, who was the spiritual and administrative leader of the Malankara church during the 19th century. He was given a questionnaire which was to be filled out, explaining the history of the Malankara church for the government of Madras. The questionnaire contained 17 questions and the last question on the exam asked about the history of the spiritual and administrative leaders of the Malankara church. To this question, Marthoma VIII answered that from 335 AD, for 1308 years , the church was led by Archdeacons. So, in this way that we learn that the first leaders of the church were known as Archdeacons.

As the Malankara church continued to grow, the Church decided to ordain the Archdeacon as a bishop, and they gave him the name Mar Thoma I. This was a very important and vital turning point in the development of the church. This title was used from 1653-1816 and the line of Mar Thoma Metrans lasted until Mar Thoma VIII.

As the Malankara church continued to grow, the Church decided to ordain the Archdeacon as a bishop, and they gave him the name Mar Thoma I. This was a very important and vital turning point in the development of the church. This title was used from 1653-1816 and the line of Mar Thoma Metrans lasted until Mar Thoma VIII.

Now, in 1816 a lot of different things were happening. The church had prospered and grown immensely and the current bishop of the church was given a letter from the government of Travancore allowing him the authority to act as Metropolitan to the Malankara church. This title was developed from the Mar Thoma Metrans and contained all the power and influence of the Archdeacons and Metrans and more as the church had grown greatly as the church was immense.

In the late 19th century, while Mor Dionysius V was Metropolitan, the church began to undergo much tribulation and a split occurred. To reestablish the prominence of the Malankara church the Patriarch of Antioch was invited to India to help with the schism which had formed as he was the spiritual and temporal head of the Church. The Patriarch of Antioch arrived in India in 1875 and instructed for the gathering of the Synod of Mulanthuruthy . After the Synod, he divided the Malankara Church of India into seven dioceses and elected bishops to oversee each diocese. The Patriarch and Mor Dionysius V fought against the reformers legally which ended with the decisions made by the Travancore Royal Court in 1889. Various members of the church did not agree with the formation of dioceses as they felt the Patriarch was attempting to remove power from the Metropolitan. This group sent a request to the Patriarch to give the Metropolitan more power but the current Patriarch, Abdul Messiah denied the request. In 1909, Mar Dionysius V died and Mar Dionysius VI became the new Malankara Metropolitan. In 1911, the next Patriarch, Abdulla, excommunicated Mar Dionysius VI as he strongly refused to yield to the various directions of the Patriarch.

The excommunication of Mar Dionysius VI caused much confusion and uncertainty in the Malankara church and another schism arose – those who supported the decisions of the Patriarch of Antioch and those who did not. After the excommunication of Mar Dionysius VI, the Malankara Church made contact with the previous Patriarch of Antioch, Mar Abdul Messiah, whose legal documents which gave him any power had been taken away by the Turkish government, and invited him to Malankara. Abdul Messiah came and supervised the Episcopal Synod of the Malankara church where it was decided to elect a Catholicose for the Malankara church as suggested to him previously.

On September 15, 1912, Mar Baselious Paulose was elected as the first Catholicose of the Malankara church. He was ordained by Mar Abdul Messiah. After the ordination service was complete, Mar Abdul Messiah explained the importance, powers, and functions of the Catholicose. The installment of a Catholicose in India made the Malankara church an independent, self-sufficient, and sovereign church.

On October 31, 2005, Baselious Marthoma Didymos I was anointed as the new Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan in the Parumala Church. He was enthroned by the Holy Synod as the 90th Catholicose of the East and the 19th Malankara Metropolitan. Basilous Marthoma Didymos I is the present Catholicose and Malankara Metropolitan. He has the last say when it comes to all things regarding the church, be it termporal, ecclesiastical or spiritual and he oversees the Holy Episcopal Synod which is the supreme authority over all things of the church regarding faith, order and discipline.

Catholicos of the East since 1653

2010 - Present VI Catholicos HH Baselius Marthoma Paulose II Catholicos
2005 - 2010 VI Catholicos Baselious Marthoma Didymos I
1991 - 2005 VI Catholicos Baselious Mar Thoma Mathews - II
1975 - 1991 V Catholicos Moran Mar Baselious Marthoma Mathews I
1964 - 1975 IV Catholicos Moran Mar Baselious Ougen
1929 - 1964 III Catholicos Moran Mar Baselious Geevarghese II
1925 - 1928 II Catholicos Moran Mar Baselious Geevarghese I
1912 - 1914 I Catholicos Moran Mar Beselios Paulose
1908 - 1934 Vattasseril Geevarghese Mar Dionysios VI
1864 - 1909 Pulicottil Joseph Mar Dionysios V
1843 - 1877 Palakunnathu Mathews Mar Athanasios
1825 - 1855 Cheppad Mar Dionysios IV
1817 - 1825 Punnathara Mar Dionysios III
1816 - Mar Thoma IX
1816 - 1817 Mar Philoxenos,Kidangan(Thozhiyur)
1815 - 1816 Pulukottil Joseph Mar Dionysios II
1809 - 1816 Mar Thoma VIII
1808 - 1809 Mar Thoma VII
1796 - Consecration of Metropolitan Mar Thoma VII
1772 - Mar Thoma VI accepted Reordination by Mar Gregorios assisted by Mar Ivanios
1765 - 1808 Mar Thoma VI (Mar Dionysius I)
1761 - Consecration of Metropolitan Mar Thoma VI
1728 - 1765 Mar Thoma V
1688 - 1728 Mar Thoma IV
1686 - 1688 Mar Thoma III
1670 - 1686 Mar Thoma II
1653 The first Indian Bishop Mar Thoma I was raised to the dignity by Twelve Priests