Orthodox, Jacobite churches headed for direct confrontation

KOTTAYAM: The Orthodox and Jacobite factions are in no mood for a compromise on the  ownership of the St Peter's and St Paul's church, Kolencherry, in spite of the Supreme Court passing its verdict on July 4.  The Orthodox Church has demanded the implementation of the SC verdict immediately while the Jacobite Church has opposed it. Yuhanon Mar  Dioscoros,  secretary of the Bishops’ Synod and Kottayam diocese auxiliary bishop of Orthodox Church, told DC that the state government should implement the SC verdict.  

The demands, including the separation of the Church assets on the basis of the numerical strength of  each faction,  could be considered only after the implementation of the verdict, he said. His statement is in the context of the Jacobite Church Niranam diocese bishop Geevarghese Mar Koorilose  opposing the court verdict.  He said on Monday that the Church disputes cannot be solved on the basis of the SC verdict, but only through mediation. The SC verdict had ratified the 1934 constitution of the Orthodox Church which says that the Catholica Bava is the head of the spiritual and temporal assets of the Church.

As per the1934 constitution of the Orthodox Church,  the administrative functions will be discharged by a three-tier body comprising  a parish, diocese and the Malankara Syrian Association.      As per the constitution, the bishops of the Church are accountable to the synod and managing committee. The metropolitans   are elected by the Malankara Christian Association  from the parishes.