A BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH OF .THE DIOCESE OF COCHIN:THE MOTHER CHURCH
(PAST AND PRESENT)
Rt Rev, Msgr. Francis Figureido, Vicar General, Cochin
From the year 1500 A. D. onwards, The King of Portugal began to send fleets, squadrons, to India for the purpose not any of trading in pepper, ginger, spices etc under the leadership of Vasco da Gamaa, Alvarez Cabral and others, but also of propagating the Christian religion aanong the Indians and for this special purpose they had brought with them always Franciscan Friars to preach the gospel to the Indians. The Dominicans, Augustinians, and the Jesuits followed in due course" and Cochin soon became a Centre of Missionary activities. The Poeruguese fraternised with the St. Thomas Christians of the locality and they were pleased to find that these Christians of the locality though not in communion with Rome, yet shared with them the Catholic Faith. The attempt of the Portuguese was therefore, even from the outset, to win them over to the Latin rite and with this end in view a vigorous drive was launched by them.
Regarding the success of this work the eminent scholar Fr Schurehrmmer S. J. of the Gregorian University, Rome, says "During this period, there were those that had the good will to go over to the usage of the church of Rome (Schurhammer Pag 18). Truly a wonderful work was done among the St. Thomas' Christians and this "wonderful work" had paved the way for the erection of the Cochin Diocese on 4th February 1557., by the Bull "Pro Excellent!
Rt.. Rev. Msgr. Francis Figureido
Praeemirsentia Sedis Apostolicae" of Pope Paul IV raising the Church of the Holy Cross at Cochin to a Cathedral and Cochin to a Diocese
With the erection of this Latin Diocese from the point of view of Rite , and Language, the first split among the St. Thomas' Christians of Malabar had also taken P'ace. Thenceforward the once united St. Thomas Christian Community of these parts came to be divided into two sects, the one following the Latin Rite and the other the Syro-chaldean Rite. It is clear that the number of this latinized section was by no means small, for by 1557 when there was little scope for conversion from among the Hindus it was sufficient to warrant the erection of a Diocese.
This Diocese was erected and constituted suffragan to the Arch-Diocese of Goa by papal Bull of Pope Paul IV dated 4th February 1557 and by this Decree, its Territory comprised the whole of South India, excepting the Arch-Diocese of Goa and including Burma and Ceylon (present Sree-Lanka).
Later, on account of conquest of Cochin and expulsion of the Portuguese by the Dutch, the scarcity of Portuguese Missionaries began to be felt very keenly in the beginning of the 19th Century and therefore by the Brief or Muita Praeciara of Pope Gregory XV! dated 24th April 1S38, the See of Cochin was temporarily annexed to Verapoly. But when Verapoly was raised in 1886 to an Archdiocese, the Diocese of Cochin was reorganized and separated from Verapoly on 1st September 1886 by the Bull "Humanae Salutis Auctor" of Pope Leo XIII.
According to this Decree, the Diocese extended all along the coast of Malabar about 80 miles in length. It consisted of 2 continuous territories separated from each other by a small portion of the Diocese of Quilon. For the purpose of Ecclesiastical administration they were denominated as the "Territory of the North" and "The territory of the South".
The major part of the Diocese was formerly situated in the former Travancore State and minor part in the Cochin State whilst a very small part with a very dense Christian population was in the British territory, which was ceded to the Portu. guese by the Raja of Cochin and over which the Portuguese exercised complete dominion.
It is bounded on the west in its entire length by the Indian Ocean. Its north eastern and southern boundaries are the Arch-diocese of Verapoly, the Archdiocese of Ernakulam and the Dioceses of Kottayam and Changanacherry of the Syro-Chaldaic Rite and the Diocese of Quilon. The Missions of the south are bordered upon by the diocese of Quilon, and of Trivandrum. Valiathoray, flourishing in the suburbs of Trivandrum the residence of Raja's formerly, is the Capital of the Missions of the south.
On 18th July 1950 the concordat between the Holy See and Portugal terminated, the Padroado ended and the Cochin Diocese was placed under "the Propaganda Fide". Holy See decided to bifurcate the Diocese into Cochin and Alleppey and to annex the churches in the southern Mission to the Diocese of Trivandrum. So by the Decree "Ea Redemptoris Verba" dated 19th June 1952 Alleppey was separated and constituted as a new Diocese.
From the year 1498 onwards, the Portuguese ships that left Lisbon almost every year brought priests of various Orders with the intention of spreading Christianity. On 20th December 1500, the second Portuguese fleet under Alvarez Cabral arrived at Cochin with 8 Franciscan Friars. On 7th November 1502, Vasco da Gama accompanied by 5 more Franciscans arrived at Cochin. The Dominicans, the Augustinians and the Jesuits followed in due course and Cochin soon became a Centre of Missionary activities.
To Portugal belongs the glory of having begun the Missionary work in India. To Cochin goes the glory of having been the cradle of the Catholic faith in the East, the Centre, whence irradiated the dazzling light of Christianity into the whole of the South of this vast Hindustan Peninsula.
The newly founded City of Cochin, being made the Centre of their Apostolic labours and the first Missionaries, being reinforced by new contingents of labourers, Christianity spread along the coast and into the interior of the country with so great rapidity that it was possible for the Holy See in the short space of 57 years to constitute the Diocese of Cochin which included the whole of Southern India and Ceylon. What labours! What Heroic Sacrifice for the sake of the Faith, does not this superb missionary development exhibit
In December 1502 the Nestorian Christians offered to Vasco da Gama who arrived at Cochin, the Sceptre of their old Kings, requesting him to protect them against the violene of Mohamadans. The Nestorian Bishop promised obedience to the Pope and two Nestorian Fathers accompanied Vasco da Gama to Lisbon with destination to Rome. Thus commenced the Protectorate, real and effective of Portugal over their Christians, a pro-tectorate which lasted as long as the Portuguese were the Lords of the City of Cochin.
The first Missionaries sent to India; for the purpose of establishing regular Missions were eight Franciscan Friars. They embarked from Lisbon on 8th May 1500' in the fleet of Alvarez Cabral. Three were massacred in Calicut on 16th Nov-ember 1500. Those who survived arrived at the Port of Cochin on 26th November and founded there the monastery of St.Antony and the church of St. Francis.
It gives me pleasure to record here as a remarkable event that the First Mass said in the land of India after the discovery, was celebrated in Calicut in 1498 by the Confessor of Vasco da Gama,Fr. Pero da Covilha, a religious of the Most Holy Trinity, the first Portuguese Martyr in India. He was pierced with arrows by the gentiles in Calicut on 7th July 1498 and died as Martyr.
The Portuguese lived in Cochin gloriously for 163 years and in 1663 they had to succumb to the fury of the Dutch army. The Dutch being staunch Protestants, destroyed everything that pertained to Catholic Church. Besides the beautiful Cathedral, 15 other Churches, Houses for the poor, work-shops, hospitals and all that was sacred, grand and noble which the Portuguese had built in Cochin during 163 years were levelled to the ground except the Church of St. Francis which was occupied by their soldiers. The Dutch occupied Cochin for a period of 132 years when they shamefully surrendered the City to England on 20th October 1795
19th June 1977 was a gala Day for the faithful of Alleppey Diocese, since it was on that day its Silver Jubilee was celebrated. 25 years ago a weakling, the new Diocese has now developed to a full fledged Diocese with Churches, Chapels, Convents, Institutions of various kind, and grade for the spiritual and temporal uplift of the people of Alleppey.
We pray that our Blessed Lord may shower upon this diocese, His choicest blessings abundantly, so that the Clergy and the Laity of this Diocese may be useful instruments in the hands of Gee, to extend His kingdom on earth and to save souls.