Catholics of the Syro-Malabar rite will gain a new kind of leadership structure in Britain, with the creation by the Pope of a new eparchy based in Preston. St Ignatius church, which was closed in 2014 only to reopen to serve the Syro-Malabar community, will become a cathedral.
An eparchy is a territory governed by the Eastern churches, usually by a bishop. similar to a diocese. The first eparch will be Fr Joseph Srampickal, at present Vice-Rector of Propaganda Fide College in Rome.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, whose origins are said to date back to the arrival of St Thomas the Apostle in 52 AD, is one of the is one of the 22 Eastern (Oriental) Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome. With 4.6 million Catholics belonging to this rite, it is the second largest of the Eastern Churches.
