Church dispute enters novel's sphere

Thiruvananthapuram: The Supreme Court verdict ratifying the 1934 constitution of the Orthodox Church on the administration of the St Peter's and St Paul's Church at Kolencherry recently is the culmination of the century-old dispute in the eastern Syrian Church. Incidentally, Benyamin's novel Akkapporinte Irupathu Nasrani Varshangal' deals with the fighting between the two churches for years. The links of Syrian Christians with Antioch date back to 325 A.D. when the first general council of all dioceses in the Christian world attended by Christians from India also entrusted the Patriarch of Antioch with jurisdiction over the Malankara Christians, including the right to ordain the metropolitan of Malankara, known also as the Catholicos of the East.  Malankara meant the Malayalam-speaking community on the Malabar coast.

The disputes started in early 20th century when the then Malankara metropolitan appointed his successor without the Patriarch's blessing. This divided the Church into two groups often leading to violence. The Catholicate independent from the Holy Apostolic See of Antioch was established under the leadership of Vattasseril Divanyasius with the help of ex-communicated Abdul Messiah which started the division in Malankara Church. In 1906, a Jacobite Synod or the Government of Turkey dismissed Patriarch Abdul Messiah and installed Abdalla in his place. In 1909, Patriarch Abdalla visited Malabar claiming his power on the temporalities of the Church as well. However, Mar Dionysius VI challenged the claim of the Patriarch.

Following this, the Patriarch excommunicated Mar Dionysius VI to nominate Mar Kurilos as his successor. The excommunicated Mar Dionysius VI invited Patriarch Abdul Messiah to Malabar who on his arrival in the state ordained bishops and elevated the most senior among them, Paulose Mar Ivanios, as the Catholicos of the East. He also authorised his supporters from Malabar to ordain Catholicos whenever the office fell vacant. The Patriarch faction owed allegiance to the Patriarch of Antioch based in Damascus, Syria. The other faction considered the Kerala-based Catholicos of the East as its head.

The group that recognised the power of Patriarch is popularly known as 'Bava Kakshi' or 'Patriarch group and the group that attributed the power of Patriarch on only spiritual matters is known as Methran Kakshi or the bishop's party. In 1958, peace was established for a brief period when Metran Kakshi accepted the Holy Throne of Antioch as the supreme head of the Church. However, it did not last long. In 1974, the erstwhile Metran Kakshi came with the throne of St.Thomas denying the supremacy of Patriarch arguing that Malankara Church is autocephalous. They argued that the Patriarch has no power over Malankara Church.

The church split was also evident in Manthalir congregation, Pandalam,  where the two groups conducted separate worships on alternate Sundays using separate chapels.  Benyamin has based his novel on this place. The Manthalir cathedral was locked following the dispute and suits were continuing in the courts about the ownership of the church and church properties. There were two suites before the trial court relating to the administration and management of the affairs of St.Thomas Orthodox Syrian Church, Manthalir. One suit was instituted at munsiff's court, Chengannur, and the other at sub-court, Mavelikkara. Both the suits were later transferred to first additional district court, Ernakulam.

As law and order problem erupted, the executive magistrate of Chengannur initiated proceedings under section 145 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The church and its properties were attached and put under the control of the village officer, Kulanada, who was appointed as the receiver.   Benyamin in his novel narrates the story of a family at Manthalir.  There is an interesting dialogue between a daughter-in-law and mother-in-law in the book. When the daughter-in-law asks her mother-in-law why she was not out of the bed and getting ready for the morning Mass on a Sunday, she said  "what is the point in going to the church when there is peace." Benyamin told Deccan Chronicle that the novel was part of the four-part series he was planning.   A human being's normal life period is 80 years. Each novel will cover 20 years of this life. The first one revolves round the church dispute for 20 years from 1954 to 1974, Benyamin said.

Benyamin busy writing 2nd novel in series

Benyamin’s novel Akkapporinte Irupathu Nasrani Varshangal based at Manthalir village in Pathanamthitta depicts the 20-year dispute (1954 to 1974) within the eastern Syrian church. He is busy writing the second novel in the four-part series covering 80 years-the lifespan of a human being. Benyamin told Deccan Chronicle that the second novel, also based at Manthalir, would be released by DC books soon. This covers a period from 1975 to 1995 and narrates the events of an era, including the Emergency, the fall of the Soviet Union, the expectation of the people about communism and the advent of technology and its impact on the people.

He has also authored four other novels, including the bestselling 'Adujeevitham,' three anthologies of short stories and non-fiction. 'Aadujeevitham' was published as 'Goat Days' in English by Penguin India which was also well- received. The book won the Abu Dhabi Sakthi Award in 2008 and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 2009. It has been included in the syllabus of various universities in the country.

‘Court orders cannot settle Church row’

Novelist Benyamin feels that the dispute between the two factions of the eastern Syrian Church could not be settled through court orders or police action. The row has a long history of over 100 years. Any effort for a legal settlement would only aggravate the situation as the two warring factions would go for more court cases. This would add up to the tension and disrupt peace. The only way out is for both factions to come up for discussions as the issue relates more to belief than anything else, Benyamin said.

The administration of the churches under dispute should be given to the faction that has the majority in the parish. "This is the only option to bring permanent peace in the church," Benyamin said. "Court cases and police action will only aggravate the situation. A settlement through discussion is the best way out," Benyamin said.