Joseph Sulaqa

Who was Joseph Sulaqa?

Mar Joseph Sulaqa was one of the last East Syrian bishops to Malabar. He was shortly followed by Mar Abraham; both reached in Malabar after the arrival of the Portuguese.Abdisho IV Maron, the successor of Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa, sent the brother of John, Mar Joseph, to Malabar as a Chaldaean bishop; although consecrated in 1555 or 1556, Mar Joseph could not reach India before the end of 1556, nor Malabar before 1558, when the Portuguese were finally alerted by the presence of Mar Abraham and allowed Mar Joseph, accompanied by another Chaldaean bishop, Mar Eliah, to – very briefly – occupy his see, before the Inquisition also sent him to Lisbon in 1562.