Pope establishes new eparchy for Indian Christians in Britain
LONDON The Vatican has established a new eparchy or leadership structure for the Syro-Malabar community with an ancient church in north England as its cathedral, marking a new high in the little known history of Indian Christians in Britain that began with Goan “lascars” arriving in the 16th century.
The eparchy – akin to a diocese – has been set up in St Ignatius Church in Preston, north England, 370 km from London. The church, handed over to the community in October 2015, was this week named by the Vatican as the cathedral of the eparchy.
Pope Francis also appointed Kottayam-born Fr Joseph Srampickal as the first bishop of the eparchy. He is currently vice-rector of the Pontifical Urban College “De Propaganda Fide” in Rome. Members of the Syro-Malabar community in Britain number nearly 40,000.
Services at St Ignatius Church have been held in Malayalam since it was handed over to the community. Some members of the local community protested against the handover at the time, and said they felt excluded since the services are no longer in English. Bishop Michael Campbell of Lancaster said: “I welcome this exciting news and in particular Bishop Srampickal as the first Bishop of the Eparchy of the SyroMalabars in Great Britain. I look forward to working with him as a close colleague and friend while he has care of his brothers and sisters throughout the whole country.”
He said the establishment of the eparchy was “a clear indication of the care of the Holy See for the thousands of Syro-Malabar Catholics who have settled in Great Britain. I am particularly pleased that the seat of the new Eparchy will be the wonderful St Ignatius Church.”
The history of Indian Christians in UK includes three distinct groups arriving at various times, with origins in south India (mainly Kerala), Goa and Punjab. The Goan link is the oldest, with members of the community now boosting congregations in Swindon, nearly 130 km west of London.