To My Beloved Knanaya Catholic Brothers and Sisters;
On my most recent visit to Kerala in Oct 2003, a Kerala politician said to me, "Syro-Malabar Church politics are worse now than our Kerala State politics are at present time." If this is true, my dear brothers and sisters, then we are really in deep trouble.
The ethnic rivalry and selfishness of the politicians are now destroying the state of Kerala without any concern for the common good of the community.

The same kind of ethnic rivalry and selfishness is very much active among the Syro-Malabar Bishops in Kerala. The continued attempts made to remove the Chief Minister of Kerala, A.K. Anthony, from office by his ethnic rivals have interfered with this honest politician, from trying to help his community. This is an example of the messy politics that have taken place. After the Second Vatican Council at which I worked for two sessions, allowed regional Bishops to select one among them. Because of this rivalry Bishops are putting their personnel interests ahead of the common good of the Church.
Ever since 345AD, when a layman named Thomas of Kinai led the first missionary expedition to Malabar to save the dying St. Thomas Christians; there have been numerous hurdles. This expedition included Bishop Mar Joseph of Edessa (sent by Catholicos of Seleucia), four priests, several seminarians and seventy-two different Judeo-Christian families, from seven different clans. Up to now, we've met all challenges with total unity, which is a birthmark of our Knanaya heritage. As the founder of the first Knanaya Catholic Association of North America I have watched with great interest the developments and the set backs of our community everywhere. But now I am forced to break my silence because our community is faced with a dangerous challenge by forces of evil, from both the outside, as well as the inside.
Those who have knowingly and willingly left our community by marriage, as well as their sympathizers, have joined with the outside forces of evil to attempt to destroy our community. They have sent numerous letters of complaints to Rome against our practice of endogamy, causing grace damage to our cause. They are the betrayers. Theirs and our ancestors who fought valiantly, and sacrificed their lives for the cause, must be turning over in their graves. All we can do for these departed members of our community is to pray for them.
The priests who were sent by the Diocese of Kottayam to take care of the Knanaya missions were spoiled by the generosity of our own lay people making them too rich too fast. Some of them became greedy and for their survival they are working for the Saint Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese instead of working for the best interest of our community. Unfortunately some of our former top lay leaders of our KCCNA put the leaders of the Syro-Malabar both here and in India, on such a high pedestal, it gave them a perceived power which has caused irreparable damage for our community, and has turned them against us.
Our first formidable challenge came from the Portuguese in the 16th Century, when they refused to recognize our Syrian Rite, which was originally brought by our Syrian Community to Malabar and blocked the arrival of Syrian Rite Bishops from abroad. This refusal split the Knanaya Catholic community into two groups. Some remained Catholics and others turned to the Jacobites.
In 1896, Pope Leo XIII created three Vicariates: Trichur, Ernakulam and Changanacherry. These three Vicariates were for Syrian Catholics including Knanaya Catholics. The Pope then appointed the first three Syrian Catholic native Bishops. One was Mathew Makiel Bishop of Changanacherry. The majority of the people in Changanacherry were Non-Knanaya, and were angry about the appointment of Bishop Makiel, who was a Knanaya Catholic, and therefore persecuted him for years.
After many years of suffering from the persecution of the Changanacherry people; at the request of Bishop Makiel, and with the fervent support and blessings of the Bishops, Mar Louis Pazayparambil and Mar John Menacherry; Pope Pius X, created the Kottayam Vicariate. This new Diocese of Kottayam was created exclusively for the Knanaya Catholic community, and since Pope Pius X granted this request, neither Syro-Malabar hierarchy nor the Holy See can take it away.
Today's problem that we, the Knanaya Community, began after the demise of a great shepherd, the late Joseph Cardinal Parakkattil. As we all know, within the last 20 years, not once but twice, the Holy See was forced to bring the Leaders from outside the Syro-Malabar hierarchy, because of the inability and lack of unity among the Bishops of the hierarchy. According to the Second Vatican Council, it should have been one of the existing Syro-Malabar bishops who should have headed the hierarchy, instead of those who were chosen. That is why the former Bishop of Ootty Antony Padiyara and then again the former Superior of the Vicentian fathers; Rev. Fr. Varkey Vithayathil were appointed to lead the Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala.
Many attempts were made to have a new Diocese at Kannur where there are more than 50,000 Knanaya Catholics live, all these attempts were vetoed by the bishops and the hierarchy. They not only vetoed the new diocese; they tried to restrict or revoke the personnel jurisdiction of the Knanaya Bishop of Kottayam over his people, but failed. They have done, and continue to do everything to destroy our Knanaya Catholic community.
We all know for a fact that the present Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil was not the choice of Syro-Malabar Bishops. As the present leader of the Syro-Malabar hierarchy, His Eminence Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil has the influence and the ability to solve the problem faced by the Knanaya Catholic Community today, that being a new Diocese for the Knanaya Catholic community in North America. And so we need to know if Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil is with us or against us? If he is with us, he should stop playing political games and publicly announce his support. Just as the first two native bishops of Malabar, Mar Louis Pazayparambil of Ernakulam and Mar John Menacherry from Trichure strongly supported Mar Mathew Makiel for the new Diocese of Kottayam; we want the support of Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil. My question is, will the Cardinal deliver us a new Diocese?
Throughout the centuries the Knanaya Catholic laymen have always taken the initiative to solve the problems they faced. Now that we are confronted with our very own existence, it is the leaders of the Knanaya Catholic Communities throughout North America and Europe who must continue the struggle until we succeed in bringing about a new Knanaya Catholic Diocese for ourselves.
Months ago I strongly recommended to the top leaders of the KCCNA to organize a massive petition from our community throughout North America. They should send a memorandum to His Holiness Pope John Paul II, and copies to the head of the Oriental Congregation, and the Papal Nuncio in Washington D.C. requesting a separate diocese for our Knanaya Catholic Community here in North America. At a minimum, we request an extension of the personnel jurisdiction of the Bishop of Kottayam over his people worldwide. With a simple stroke of a pen, the Holy Father can create separate diocese, or extend the personnel jurisdiction of the Bishop of Kottayam, as did the late Pope Pius XII in 1955.
I would challenge the lay people of the Knanaya Catholic community here to take up the fight of this worthy cause, as did Thomas of Kinai in 345 AD. He made a difference, so can you.
In the meantime I would encourage all Knanaya Catholic's to boycott all dealings with the Saint Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago. Instead, attend local parishes where you practiced for many past years before this situation emerged.