1887 June 01; As per the special Apostolic Decree (Quod jam pridem) issued by the Holy Father Pope Leo XIII (Doc.1), . two separate Vicariates were granted; Kuravilangad for Northists (Syro-Malabar Catholics) and Kaipuzha for Southists (Knanaya Catholics) . From the time immemorial, Northist Bishops had a tendency to capture the worship places and other institutions of Southists whenever they got opportunity. That’s why Holy Father Pope Leo XIII made this arrangement in the year 1887 to protect us.

1911 August 29; For the above mentioned same reasons, Holy Father Pope Pius X reconfirmed the separate Vicariate of Southists in the name of Kottayam because of the increased population, geographical boundary and the distinct identity. This formation made exclusively for Knanaya Catholics is called ‘’Papal Bull’’ in Universi Christiani (Doc.2) .

1923 December 21; Holy Father Pope Pius XI issued a mandate Romani Pontifices and raised the Vicariate of Kottayam to the status of a Diocese.

1955 April 29; The personal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Kottayam over the Southists was extended by Pope Pious XII, decree No.1812/48 (Doc.3).

1986 January; The famous Rescript addressed to Chicago Archdiocese by then Prefect of the Oriental Congregation, aligning with the suggestion of then Arch Bishop of Chicago, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin. Here after all the communications from Oriental Congregation pertaining to Knanaya Catholics are based on this rescript including the erection of Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago, in 2001.

1995 May 27; Syro-Malabar Major Arch Bishop Mar.Antony Cardinal Padiyara sent a letter to His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Bernardin requesting separate Church in Chicago for the migrated Southists from Kottayam Eparchy (Doc.4).

1996 September 13; Migrant Southists from the above mentioned Kottayam Archeparchy to United States of America had own ethnic organization, constitution and by-laws for many decades. This was approved and signed by the Chancellor of Diocese of Galveston-Houston which is the part of Catholic Bishop Conference of America on 13th September 1996 (Doc.5).

In 1996 His Excellency Mar Gregory Karotemprel, CMI, the chairman of the Commission for the pastoral care for the migrants and Apostolic Visitator to the USA and Canada, visited most of the Knanaya Catholic community in the USA and non-Knanaya Catholic Syro Malabar (SM) faithful. His Excellency Mar Gregory Karotemprel promised the Knanaya Catholics, that we would have administrative rights within a newly formed Syro-Malabar diocese, with our own Vicar-General. During this fact-finding mission, the Knanaya community was assured that it shall be given the same kind of accommodation that is allowed to the Diocese of Kottayam. The Knanaya Community supported the arrival of Syro-Malabar Diocese whole-heartedly. His Excellency Mar Gregory Karotemprel, then submitted a detail to the Holy Father John Paul II, and the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. In his report, he requested for the establishment of a diocese for the Syro-Malabar faithful in the USA and Canada. The Knanaya Catholic community that was very disappointed to know that we would have no administrative rights as promised, with the erection of Syro-Malabar (SM) Diocese in Chicago in the year 2001. The Holy See being aware of the history, culture and traditions of the Knanaya Community gave special directives to St. Thomas Syro-Malabar diocese of Chicago to handle our community’s affairs with due care and sensitivity. However, the actions of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar diocese have not been consistent with promises given to the Knanaya community by the Apostolic Visitator. The Knanaya community’s unity was further disrupted when the Syro-Malabar hierarchy failed to keep its promise of letting the Knanaya Catholics to practice endogamy through endogamous parishes.

2001 March 13; Our misfortunes started on that day through the erection of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy in Chicago from Kerala. In United States, instead of granting us churches and parishes for our worship needs as it is practiced in the above mentioned Diocese of Kottayam, as per the 1955 decree, they removed us from the Galveston-Houston Diocese by using ‘crooked politics’ to dissolve us in their community.

2003 December 23; During the process, the Diocese of Kottayam was elevated to the rank of an Archeparchyby the Holy Father John Paul II.

2006 April 28; Instead of granting us our own diocese in Chicago, as to protect our identity under the above mentioned Kottayam Archeparchy, they formed ‘fake’ Knanaya Region in Chicago (Doc.6) for us under their administration.

2007 December 9; On this day they amended (Doc.7) our above mentioned ethnic by-laws into their mixed by-laws to dissolve us into their community by changing our more than 1700 years old membership style (Doc.8). Thus all our investments, 25 institutions and assets (Doc.9) became their own. This may be the biggest cheating in the world Catholic history. Similar to what they did in US, the Northists played the same game in Canada, UK and other parts of the world too. This ‘Migrant Eparchial Colonialism’ is now going on in the Knanaya provinces of Australia and Vatican. Lots of Laity suffering complaints were sent regarding this cheating, but no justice is granted yet.

May be in 2014; To revoke our 1700 years old ethnic identity and to dissolve Southists into Northists internationally, they arranged a three member (none of them were Knanaya people) inquiry commission which is called Bishop Mulhall commission. By using their intentional negative report, Northist Bishops ‘converted’ us into ‘nonknanaya’people. We have overheard about that declaration in around 2014, but they are still keeping that report unrevealed.

ABOVE MENTIONED 1911 DECREE (‘’PAPPA BULL’’) IS CLEARLY STATING THAT NO ONE CAN ALTER OR CHANGE OR ACT AGAINST THE DECREE. AND IT WAS ISSUED FOR EVER FOR THE SOUTHISTS UNDER THE ARCHEPARCHY OF KOTTAYAM. SO, ANY ATTEMPTS INCLUDE MULHALL REPORT TO DISSOLVE SOUTHISTS INTO NORTHISTS AND KEEPING SOUTHISTS SUPPRESSED UNDER SYRO-MALABAR ADMINISTRATION ARE COMMITTING A CRIME OF VIOLATING THE ORDER OF A POPE WHO IS A SAINT AND NEEDED TO BE KEPT AS A PERMANENT DECREE SINCE 1911.

ON THE BASIS OF THIS FACT, FORMATION OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED KNANAYA REGION IN CHICAGO WAS A FAKE, IMMORAL AND ILLEGAL FORMATION.

2020 February 4;

Latest capturing as the part of this organized serial crime is going on now in St.Mary’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church, Kaduthuruthy, Kerala, India, in the name of ‘elevating that Church into a Major Arch Episcopal Church’ by Northists. That Church is 100% owned and operated by us, the Southists for last 1500 years! Now the Archbishop of the Northists is ‘colonizing’ this Church also, in the name of the ‘elevation’ process. Through this process not only the ‘ownership’, but also a certain percentage of the annual revenue of this Church also is being demanded to be deposited in Archbishop’s bank account. Five criminal cases are now existing in the High Court of Kerala against this Archbishop filed by Northist Laities. The Laities of the Kottayam Archeparchy residing in Kerala has filed a law suit petition on 4th February 2020 (Doc.10) against the capturing of the above mentioned St.Mary’s Church. This capturing is under freezing order by the Civil Rights court of Kerala, India (Doc.11) and in continuance for further hearings.

Facts about Knanaya Jacobites; Under the Pastoral care of The Holly Father Ignatius Aphrem II (The Second), Patriarch of Universal Syrian Orthodox Church, our real brothers Knanaya Jacobites are lucky enough to form and keep up their own ethnic Churches worldwide while they are having their world head quarters and spiritual administration in Chingavanam, Kerala, India. They have two Churches only in Houston. One of them is St.James Knanaya Church (Doc.12) . We are praying for the same status for last three decades! But, our petitions and prayers for the extension of jurisdiction of our Kottayam Archeparchy to at least in New Delhi, U.S.A, Canada, U.K, Australia and Vatican have not shown any lights as we are suppressed under the Syro-Malabar administration all around the world.