Diocese of Asia–Pacific

The earliest Malankara Orthodox presence in this region predates the modern diocese by more than a century. In the late nineteenth century, under St. Julius Alvares, thousands of Sinhalese, Tamil and Burgher converts in Sri Lanka joined the Church. These communities declined after the Malankara Church ceased to send priests, the last Holy Qurbana being celebrated in 1937. After more than seventy-five years, Holy Qurbana was celebrated again in Sri Lanka in 2015 under Project Drahma, led by H.G. Yuhanon Mar Dioscoros. The Church has since identified over 800 descendants of these lost Orthodox communities and is working toward their return. The diocese also maintains a modern mission church in Northern Sri Lanka, composed of converts from Hinduism and served by a native Sri Lankan Tamil priest and deacon.

The first Holy Qurbanas among Malankara Orthodox faithful in Malaysia, Singapore and Java, Indonesia, were celebrated in 1928 by Abo Alexios OIC. The Kuala Lumpur Parish in Malaysia, officially registered in 1932, was the first Malankara Orthodox parish established outside India.

The modern diocese was established on 1 November 2024 by Kalpana No. 267/2024 of Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan, following comprehensive structural reviews and recommendations of the Holy Episcopal Synod. Its territory was separated from the Diocese of Madras in order to serve the growing diaspora of the region more effectively. Headquartered in Canberra, Australia, the diocese has jurisdiction over parishes and congregations in Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Sri Lanka, as well as prayer groups in Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Baselios Marthoma Mathews III serves as inaugural Metropolitan, assisted by H.G. Dr. Yuhanon Mar Dioscoros.