Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Kottayam
The Archeparchy of Kottayam is a Syro-Malabar Church metropolitan archeparchy of the Catholic Church in India. The archeparchy is exclusively for Knanaya faithful who claim to be the descendants of Syriac Judeo-Christians (early East Syriac Christians) who migrated from South Mesopotamia to Kodungallur (Muziris) in South India in 4th century A.D.
On 21 March 2005, the Congregation for the Oriental Churches issued a letter of no-objection to the decision of the Syro-Malabar Bishop's synod to elevate the Eparchy of Kottayam as an Archeparchy.
Accordingly, on 9 May 2005 the Major Archbishop Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil issued the decree, "The Eparchy of Kottayam," elevating the Eparchy of Kottayam to the rank of a metropolitan see, and another decree "God our loving father," appointing Kuriakose Kunnacherry as its first metropolitan. On 3 June 2005, the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Major Archbishop canonically erected the Metropolitan See of Kottayam and ordained and enthroned Kuriakose Kunnacherry as the Metropolitan of Kottayam. At the retirement of Archbishop Kuriakose Kunnacherry, Co-adjutor Bishop Mathew Moolakkatt took over as the Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Kottayam on 14 January 2006.
