Laity hunger for peace in Malankara Church
Group of 30 to act as pressure group
KOCHI: A group of lay people, belonging to both factions of the Malankara Church, has urged the metropolitans of both camps to work for peace in the Church. They asked the leaderships of the rival factions to open disputed churches for all believers for marriages, baptisms and funerals, to begin with.
The laity, coming to about 30, which included leading industrialists, businessmen, doctors, politicians and journalists among others, met in Moovattupuzha at the residence of octogenarian Dr N.M.Mathai on Sunday evening in a move to act as a pressure group within the Church for peace. Activists of the Malankara Sabha Samadhana Samithi were also present.
The meeting, inaugurated by T.U. Kuruvilla, MLA, assumed significance as it was held ahead of the first visit of the new Patriarch of Antioch Mar Ignatius Karim Aphrem to India, in February. Mar Aphrem was recently in the news calling for peace in the Malankara Church.
A resolution adopted at the meeting called upon the leadership of both factions to bury the hatchet in all areas wherever cooperation was possible. “The Synods of both factions should consider a peace formula and take steps to end the acrimonious division in the Church,” it said.
The meeting, chaired by Dr N.M.Mathai, also resolved to meet Mar Aphrem during his India visit, seeking his support and blessings for the peace move. C.V. Jacob, head of the Synthite Group, Mammen Varghese, Dr K.C. Mammen, P.A. Alexander, K.M. Alexander, Dr Baby Varghese, Monsy Vavachan and Johnson Paulose, among others, spoke.