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Posted on 11/23/2006 7:12:03 AM PST by NYer
Thiruvananthapuram: A remark reportedly made by Pope Benedict XVI at St Peter's Square in September that St Thomas may not have evangelised in south India has kicked off a row in Kerala.
The south Indian state has a sizeable Christian population, a majority of whom believe their ancestors joined the faith after St Thomas's evangelism.
The issue has come to light following an article by George Nedungatt SJ, a faculty member of the Oriental Pontifical Institute in Rome, in the English edition of Sathyadeepam, a Catholic publication from Kerala.
In the article it is pointed out that the Pope made an observation that St Thomas first evangelised Syria and Persia and then went on to western India from where Christianity spread to southern India.
The inference from that remark that St Thomas may not have directly evangelised south Indian Christians, has not appealed to the Kerala Christians who proudly proclaim that they are the descendants of those baptised by the apostle.
Coming to the Pope's support, the convenor of the Inter-church Council for Education, Joseph Powathil has said the reports have been twisted and in fact the Pope was in the habit of referring to Kerala Christians as those who took their faith from St Thomas.
Powathil has stated that by reporting what the Pope has not said would only help in spreading misunderstanding.
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Very interesting book even as the Pope yet has quite a shallow understanding of Judaism. But you've got to admire him for plugging along.
He's quite courageous, you know.
The media is doing it again...
His remarks:
Lastly, let us remember that an ancient tradition claims that Thomas first evangelized Syria and Persia (mentioned by Origen, according to Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History 3, 1) then went on to Western India (cf. Acts of Thomas 1-2 and 17ff.), from where also it finally reached Southern India.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20060927_en.html
Kerala has a 50% unemployment rate, and the longest-lasting, legitimately-elected, Communist government in the world. This is relevant, I think.
Fascinating Christian culture there - several Eastern Catholic churches, Eastern Orthodox congregations, evangelicals, a few stray Romans, Jewish, and Hindu.
I sponsored a girl in an orphanage in Kerala for 11 years. I recently learned that her mother had been able to resume custody of her daughters, as her income had improved. I have a little girl and a seminarian in Ethiopia now.
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