Mor Timotheos Vilathi I
(January 24, 1854 – July 8, 1929), was a French naturalized American Christian leader active in France and the United States. He was originally a member a the Roman Catholic Church before his ordination as a priest in the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland. However, in May 1892, after having been Orthodox Catholic, he was consecrated "Metropolitan Archbishop of America" by the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in India with the blessing and authorization of the Syriac Patriarchate of Antioch. During his time he established many parishes in the United States and Canada, and then in other countries as well. He was recognized by the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church during his time (but later it became known as - Russian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Metropolia, and then Orthodox Church of America.
On May 29th, 1892, Vilatte, who was given the name Timotheos Vilathi by the Patriarchate, was consecrated as Metropolitan Mar Timotheos by three Malankara Orthodox bishops: Alvarez Mar Julius, Kadavil Mar
Athanasius, and the Saint, Parumala Mar Gregorios in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Mar Timotheos was tasked with ministering to America, presumably among dissatisfied Roman Catholics and Old Catholics, who had grown dissatisfied
with developments in the Roman Papacy, including Papal Infallibility. The Malankara Orthodox Church had lost contact with Mar Timotheos as well as any connection with the American Orthodox, although Mar Timotheos continued
ministering in America independently due to administrative and polity disagreements at the time with the Malankara Catholicate and the Syrian Patriarchate. Over a century later, many of the parishes he founded in America that broke
away from his and his successors became unaffiliated with any of the "canonical" Apostolic Churches and have no recognition by the Primatial See of the Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church, but have been found to
nonetheless trace their alleged Episcopal successions back to the "Vilatte/Vilathi Succession." Many of these, and most of the schismatic groups, have lost validity and/or canonicity over time, and some have even adopted heretical
beliefs, e.g., Theosophy, i.e., occult teaching about God and the world based on mystical insight; Gnosticism, and Reincarnation, all of which go against the beliefs of Orthodox Catholicism.
Toward the end of his life he was referred to as an "episcopi vagantes" by some, which translates to "wandering bishop," which was as far from the truth as could be. However, many of the bishops ordained by him or his
successors became schismatic and certainly fit this label. This title was given to many "Old Catholic" and "Orthodox Christian" bishops in the United States and elsewhere, and a good portion of them with much reason to be given
such a title, but Mor Timotheos Vilathi was "Orthodox Catholic" in his heart and actions until he resigned from the Office of Primate in 1920. Jealousy consumed some of the misguided (and some vindictive) persons who caused this
name to be given to him, but without grounds or justice as many historians have attested to for almost a century. There are many online "histories" of Metropolitan Timotheos Vilathi that are truthful and complimentary, but a few
are nothing more than idle attempts to make this prelate look as a vagante bishop. Several of those he consecrated and trusted turned out to be schismatics and a few heretics, but this was not his fault. Such events have happened
in the Roman Catholic Church and other Orthodox Catholic Churches. |
