Orthodox faction blames Jacobites’ ‘adamant stance’

The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church here on Monday accused the Jacobite faction of taking the law into its own hands with the active support of those in power.

Addressing mediapersons here on Monday, synod secretary Yuhanon Mar Diascoros Metropolitan and Biju Oommen, secretary of the Malankara Association, said the refusal of the Jacobite faction to adhere to the court order culminated in the forcible takeover of the Mulanthuruthy Marthoman Church on Monday. The takeover of the Onakkur church too was based on a ruling of the High Court in March this year.

“The intransigence of the Patriarch faction on the issue and their belief that any court order can be overthrown through mob violence are the prime reasons for these violent clashes amidst the deepening COVID-19 situation,” the Metropolitan said.

Root cause

According to him, the root cause of the problem was the unwillingness of the Patriarch faction to respect the court order on the Kolancherry church (2017 KS Varghese case). There was no point in the Patriarch faction calling for a consensus after these incidents.

“Several discussions have been held outside the court under the leadership of Chief Ministers, a Cabinet subcommittee, Collectors, and police chiefs. The matter, however, ended in the court of law as none of these discussions could resolve the core issue,” added the Metropolitan.