In the light of the application of His Excellency Mar Jacob Manathodath, the Bishop of Palghat, the XVIth Synod of Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church held at Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad in August 2008, after having considered the great distance from the eparchial headquarters at Palghat and the geographical, linguistic and cultural differences of the faithful in both areas, unanimously gave its approval for the erection of the eparchy of Ramanathapuram.