SyroMalabar.com and the Syro-Malabar Church

SyroMalabar.com is a website primarily on the Syro-Malabar Church. What then is the relationship between SyroMalabar.com and the Syro-Malabar Church? This report is on my personal visit to The Syro-Malabar Major Archbishop's Curia at Mount St Thomas near Kakkanad, Cochin on July 21, 2005.

The background

The website SyroMalabar.com started in May, 2003 with an objective to imparting news, information, and developments in the Syro-Malabar Church and the Catholic Church, and provide the laity and the youth with bible study, spiritual lessons, and various resources.

SyroMalabar.com, a website run by members of the laity, did not have any backing from the Syro-Malabar Church. SyroMalabar.com, for that matter, did not expect any endorsement from the Church, because the Church cannot and does not approve an independent endeavour, and rightly so.

However, we at SyroMalabar.com have been receiving a few questions from the laity and even some priests as to whether or not the website has any approval from the Syro-Malabar Church.

SyroMalabar.com informed The Syro-Malabar Archiepiscopal Curia (the office of the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church about the website by letter and through E-mail in May 2004. On introducing the latest design and full hosting on July 3, 2005, SyroMalabar.com again communicated the information to the Curia on July 4, 2005 through E-mail.

Finally, I, on behalf of SyroMalabar.com, decided to make a personal visit to the Curia, to officially hand over a letter about the website.

The meeting

I reached the Curia on Thursday, July 21, 2005. I talked over the intercom with the Chancellor Fr Antony Kollanur introducing me as coming from SyroMalabar.com, and Fr Antony responded, "Is it Jobi?" Fr Antony had already got my communications regarding SyroMalabar.com. He allowed me to meet with him for sometime. Our meeting began at 11:00 am and lasted for 30 minutes.

Fr Antony congratulated the SyroMalabar.com team for the endeavour and offered all encouragement indirectly. He said the Church would not give any direct backing or support, because the website and its content are not monitored by the Church and the Church cannot be responsible for any issues. However, he mentioned that his stand would not in any way mean discouragement, but just vigilance.

Fr Antony also urged that the content, especially about the Church and the Bible, be authoritative and be from reliable sources.

I handed over to Fr Antony a letter formally informing the Syro-Malabar Church of this website.

The conclusion

This clearly was the position that SyroMalabar.com expected from the church authorities. At every stage of development of the website, SyroMalabar.com kept the Curia informed of the happenings, and further pledges to continue the same.

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