Kerala Catholics seek World Heritage listing for St Thomas Church

(March 5, 2010) A Catholic Church group in southern India’s Kerala state has asked the local Catholic Archdiocese to initiate steps to obtain the United Nations “world heritage status” for an ancient church linked to St Thomas. The Kerala Catholic Charismatic Renewal Council, which is recognized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, said the church deserved to be elevated to that status considering its antiquity and unique place in the history of Indian Christianity. According to Christian tradition, the church stands at the site where St Thomas the Apostle had first converted a large number of persons to the faith shortly after his arrival in India in 52 AD. Varghese Neelankavil, the spokesman for the Kerala Catholic Charismatic Renewal Council said the pond at Palayur was the spot where the Apostle of the East baptised the people. The World Heritage status is conferred by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization. The World Heritage List includes 890 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the Committee considers as having outstanding universal value.