The two-day synod convened by the Portuguese Archbishop of Goa, Alexis Menesis, in June 1599 at Udayamperoor, was a turning point in the history of the Church in Kerala as it resulted in a vertical division of the Christian community, bringing a major portion directly under the Holy See of Rome.

When the Portuguese came, there existed in Kerala a strong Christian community deeply rooted in the native culture, as was the case with all early Christian communities elsewhere -- in Rome, Alexandria and Antioch.

In all respects except in the matter of faith, the Kerala Christians resembled their Hindu brethren. They dressed alike; the customs andpractices were almost similar, temples and churches looked alike, priests were married and untouchability was prevalent.

The Portuguese, who inherited the `intolerance' of the Roman Catholic Church of the medieval era, could not stomach this. They believed that there was no salvation except through Catholicism and hence tried to bring the Kerala Christians under the Roman fold. The Synod of Diamper was the culmination of this exercise, with considerable success.

According to the Latin Catholics, the Synod was path-breaking as it demonstrated the social commitment and the humanitarian role of the Church gripped by superstitions and social evils. It took 265 canonical decisions, including the ones against untouchability, polygamy and child marriage which were rampant during the time.

The Synod took major decisions, like favouring equal share to female children in parental property and prescribing celibacy for the clergy. It had also condemned the then prevalent practice of killing children born onastrologically inauspicious dates and called for measures to adopt such children by Church congregations.

The Synod was also important as it caused the reconciliation of Kerala's estranged, majority Christian community with the Holy See of Vatican, according to Joy Kalathiparambil, chairman of the celebrations committee. He recalls that revolutionary decisions taken at the Synod had sown the early seeds of social revolution, spearheaded by Ayyankali and Sri Narayana Guru centuries later.

The Syrian Catholics, however, are critical of the Synod. According to them, the Synod was not as democratic as it should have been. History has it that Archbishop Menesis took the support of the Portuguese army to conduct the synod `peacefully.'

This was precisely why Udayamperoor, a tiny hamlet in the present-day Ernakulam district, was preferred to Angamaly, which was the seat of the Archadiakkon, the then head the Kerala Christians.

Udaymperoor was a part of the erstwhile principality of Cochin, with whomthe Portuguese had alliance, while Angamaly was not.

The Synod of Diamper, attended by 166 priests and 660 representatives of the laity, was not exactly a synod, which is an official meeting of the bishops. Rather, it was a meeting of the representatives of various churches and attended by a single bishop.

It was in 1937 that Fr Gregory, of Goa, established that the Diamper Synod was valid, by submitting a thesis in Gregorian University, Rome. But 15 years later, Fr Jonas Thaliyath secured his doctorate from the same university proving that the convening of the Synod as well as the passing of the canons was illegal and tormenting.

It was decided not to celebrate an event which was tormenting or disturbing. However, it is not in dispute that the Synod brought about great changes, good or bad, in the Church in Kerala.

Moreover, the Synod's canons are historical documents which throw light on the life and culture of the Christians of that time about which we have little historical data.