How did the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church develop as a separate Thomas Christian church?

The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church developed as a separate Thomas Christian body through a process of reunion with the Roman Catholic Church in the 20th century.

Its origins trace back to the 1653 schism, when Thomas Christians broke with Rome due to the influence of Portuguese missionaries. While most of the community eventually returned to the Roman Catholic fold, a group of dissenters remained separate, forming the Syrian Orthodox (Jacobite) Church in Kerala, India.1

Following several unsuccessful attempts at reconciliation during the 18th century, the Malankarese Catholic Church was formally established in 1930 through the efforts of Bishop Ivanios. This group united with Rome while retaining the Antiochene liturgy they had adopted as Jacobites, including the use of the Malayalam language for their services. Today, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church exists as an autonomous Eastern Catholic church with its own native hierarchy, independent of the Latin hierarchy in India.12