The Vatican has declared Eastern Rite Indian Bishop Matthew Makil a venerable, bringing him one step closer to canonization. Bishop Makil (1851–1914), the first vicar apostolic of Kottayam vicariate in south-ern India, led the Syro-Malabar Church almost a decade before the Vatican established the Church’s hierarchy in 1923. Pope Leo XIV, on May 22, signed the decree declaring him venerable along with two other Servants of God – Sister Inés Arango Velá-squez and Bishop Alejandro La-baka Ugarte, reported the Vatican News. Makil, born in Manjoor village in Kerala state, is also the founder of the Sisters of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The launch of the women’s congregation signifies his social commitment, as he founded it in 1892 for the education of girls, just three years after becoming the Vicar General of Kottayam in 1889. His vibrant pastoral ministry led him to become the Apostolic Vicar of Changana-cherry in 1896. The Syro-Malabar Church was experiencing histo-rically turbulent times as his leadership role emerged a few years after Pope Leo XIII sepa-rated the Syro-Malabar Church from the Portuguese-led Latin hierarchy in the area in 1887. Although Pope Leo XIII esta-blished the Apostolic Vicariates of Trissur and Kottayam for Syro-Malabar Catholics, French Jesuit Bishop Charles Lavigne was appointed as the head of the Kottayam vicariate.
In 1889, Bishop Lavigne appointed Makil as the vicar general for the Knanaya Christian community, which had been clamouring for a separate identity and diocese. Makil steered clear of controversies and sought ways to resolve the conflicts arising from the differences between the two factions of Syro-Malabar Catholics – the “northerners,” who traced their faith to Saint Thomas the Apostle, and the “southerners” Knanaya commu-nity, which considered themselves the successors of migrant Meso-potamian traders. Makil visited Pope Pius X at the Vatican and submitted a joint memorandum signed by the three other apostolic vicars to establish the Apostolic Vicariate of Kottayam dedicated exclusively for the southerners.
In 1911, when a new Vicariate Apostolic of Kottayam was constituted exclusively for the southerners – the Knanaya Catholics who practice endogamy – Makil was transferred to Kottayam as its first Vicar Apostolic.
The status of a venerable is the step prior to beatification, the last one before canonization, which declares a Catholic’s life as worthy for other Catholics to emulate in practicing their faith.
The Church, by declaring Makil a “venerable,” officially acknowledges that he lived a life of heroic virtue and is worthy to be considered for beatification.
Spanish bishops speak out after leaks of their meeting with Leo XIV
The executive committee of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, (CEE, by its Spanish acronym) meeting in Madrid this week, issued an official statement regarding the leaks
