| Coonan Cross Oath | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Resistance to Portuguese efforts to Catholicize Saint Thomas Christians | |||
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| Date | January 3, 1653 | ||
| Location | 9°57′41″N 76°15′29″E / 9.9613°N 76.2581°E | ||
| Caused by |
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| Goals |
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| Methods | Oath-taking at Mattancherry Church, holding ropes tied to a cross | ||
| Status | Conflict concluded, with a permanent schism (Pazhayakuttukar and Puthankuttukar) | ||
| Parties | |||
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| Lead figures | |||
Archbishop Francis Garcia, Portuguese missionaries | |||
| Number | |||
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The Coonan Cross Oath (alternatively spelled Koonan Cross Oath), also known as the Great Oath of Bent Cross or Leaning Cross Oath, was taken on 3 January 1653, in Mattancherry, by a significant portion of the Saint Thomas Christian community in the Malabar region of India. This public declaration marked their refusal to submit to the authority of the Jesuits and the Latin Catholic hierarchy, as well as their rejection of Portuguese dominance in both ecclesiastical and secular matters.[1][2][3]
| Part of a series on |
| Christianity in India |
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The Portuguese had established political and religious control over parts of India, seeking to enforce Latin Catholic practices upon the local Christian community, which followed its own traditions. At the Synod of Diamper in 1599, led by Archbishop Aleixo de Menezes, the Latin Church imposed several changes, including the use of Portuguese bishops, the Latin liturgy, Roman vestments, clerical celibacy, and the establishment of the Portuguese Inquisition in Goa, which also extended its jurisdiction to Cochin. The Saint Thomas Christians, whom the Portuguese referred to as "Nestorians," largely resisted these latinizations, as they were seen as an infringement on their longstanding religious customs.[4][5][6][7][8]
A key figure in this resistance was Ahatallah, a Syrian bishop who arrived in India and was regarded by many Saint Thomas Christians as a potential leader capable of restoring their traditional practices. His capture by Portuguese authorities, who feared his influence, and his subsequent mysterious disappearance only fueled further resistance among the Saint Thomas Christians. By 1653, dissatisfaction with the Latin Church’s increasing control had grown significantly. The disappearance of Ahatallah played a direct role in prompting the Coonan Cross Oath, as the community feared the complete erosion of their traditions under Portuguese rule.[9][10][2]
After the oath, Thoma I sought canonical consecration as a bishop, leading to Gregorios Abdal Jaleel's arrival in India in 1665, who regularized Thoma I's Episcopal succession. This established a formal split among the Saint Thomas Christians into two factions: the Pazhayakuttukar, or "Old Allegiance," loyal to the Catholic Church under Bishop Palliveettil Chandy, and the Puthankuttukar, or "New Allegiance," led by Thoma I. The Pazhayakuttukar evolved into the modern Syro-Malabar Church and Chaldean Syrian Church, while the Puthankuttukar branched into several denominations, including the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, and the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.
- ^ Brown (1956), p. 100.
- ^ a b Baum & Winkler (2003), pp. 115–116.
- ^ Neill (2004), p. 316.
- ^ Neill (2004), p. 208.
- ^ Baum & Winkler (2003), p. 115.
- ^ Brown (1956), p. 32.
- ^ Mechery, Antony (2018). "Archbishop Aleixo de Menezes OSA, A Portuguese Fidalgo: Behind the Curtain". Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection. 82: 8–34.
- ^ Mundadan (1967), pp. 115–116.
- ^ Neill (2004), pp. 316–321.
- ^ Brown (1956), pp. 100–101.