[10] Proceeding to Cochin they lost Bishop Ambrose; the others travelled through Malabar for two and a half years on foot, visiting every church and detached settlement.

In this way, nominally there were two rival East Syrian bishops in Malabar until 1558, Faced with a schism, Mar Joseph turned to the Portuguese for help.

But on the way he succeeded in escaping at Mozambique, found his way back to Mesopotamia, and went straight to Mar Abdisho IV the Chaldean Patriarch, having realized from the Indian experience that unless he secured a nomination from him it would be difficult to establish himself in Malabar.

[12] Patriarch Abdisho IV, who re-consecrated Mar Abraham as bishop of Chaldean Catholic Church and sent him to Rome.

)[14] All the holy orders which Mar Abraham had received had been conferred in the independent Eastern church, and were therefore from the strict Roman point of view invalid or doubt.

John Baptist bishop of Holy Savior had ordered Mar Abraham at Venice, from tonsure to priesthood.

In spite of the express approbation by Pope Pius IV (1565), he was not welcomed by the Portuguese viceroy in India and was arrested a second time.

As is usual in such cases the old tendencies assumed once more their ascendency, and he returned to his teaching and practices, Complaints were made by Jesuits; Rome sent warnings to Abraham to allow Catholic doctrine to be preached and taught to his people.

The indulgences covered two feasts of the Patron Rabban Hormizd that fell on the fifteenth day after Easter (Monday) and on the first of September.

On 15 August 1579, as requested by Mar Abraham, the Jesuits laid the foundation stone of a new cathedral namely "Rabban Hormizd" in the same place chosen by the Metropolitan.

Thus, he should have become, according to the plans of Mar Abraham, supported by the Jesuits, the first indigenous Chaldaean Metropolitan of the St Thomas Christians.

This church has witnessed many of the revolutions of the Christians of St. Thomas in the past against the new Latin hierarchy imposed upon them after the Synod of Diamper.

The Christians used to assemble around the tomb in order to discuss important matters and to adopt resolutions concerning their future proceedings.