Syro Malabar Catholics told to use official community name

THAMARASSERY, Kerala (Indian Catholic News) — The Diocese of Thamarassery has directed Catholics to use “Syro-Malabar Syrian Catholic” in school and government records to access reservation quotas and other benefits available under the Kerala government’s Economically Weaker Section scheme.

In a circular dated May 30, Bishop Remigiose Inchananiyil instructed clergy, parents and educators to ensure the correct entry is used in admissions and official records.

“According to Government Order No. 109/2023/P&ARD issued by the General Administration Department of the Government of Kerala, the official community name of members of our Church belonging to the General Category (those not eligible for caste reservation benefits) has been standardised as ‘Syro Malabar Syrian Catholic’,” the bishop wrote.

The circular said the designation must now be used in “school records and all other official documents.”

Bishop Inchananiyil directed parents and teachers to ensure that children from the General Category are registered correctly when admitted to schools.

The Economically Weaker Section scheme in Kerala provides a 10% reservation in government jobs and state educational institutions for general category individuals who are not covered by existing quotas.

“When admitting students who are members of the Syro Malabar Church and belong to the General Category … parents and teachers should ensure that the entry in the Caste/Denomination column of the school admission register is recorded accurately as ‘Syro Malabar Syrian Catholic’,” the circular said.

Thamarassery Diocese clarified that Syro Malabar Catholics currently receiving Other Backward Class or Other Eligible Community reservation benefits should continue using their existing community names.

The circular also instructed Catholics to discontinue the use of older abbreviations.

“Abbreviations such as RC, RCSC, RCS, SC and similar forms that were used in the past should no longer be used in official documents connected with the Government,” it said.

The circular directed Catholics to stop using older abbreviations such as RC (Roman Catholic), RCSC (Roman Catholic Syrian Christian), RCS (Roman Catholic Syrian) and SC (Syrian Christian) in government records and instead use the officially recognised designation “Syro Malabar Syrian Catholic.”

Under the revised guidance, the religion field should be entered as “Christian,” while the caste or denomination field should contain “Syro Malabar Syrian Catholic.”

Bishop Inchananiyil also asked schools to update existing student records where necessary based on applications submitted by parents or guardians, urging all concerned to ensure that records are corrected in accordance with the new designation.

Full circular available: original Malayalam and AI‑generated English translation.