Kolencherry, Kerala: One of the oldest churches in India, the Syrian Orthodox Church in central Kerala is in the grip of an intense feud. The fight between rival factions of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church is now spilling onto the streets. The bone of contention is the ancient church in Kolencherry, which both warring Orthodox and Jacobite factions claim as theirs. The trouble has become worse, after a recent court order, which handed over control of the church to the Orthodox group.
The Orthodox faction wants the government to implement the court order immediately. Father Dr K M George from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church says, "There is a clear court verdict. If the government implements the order, the matter will be solved." But the Jacobite faction say they cannot be ousted from the church. Geevarghese Mor Coorilos from the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church says, "We have been worshipping here for ages. We cannot be suddenly told that you have no right here and you should go away and build a new church."
The church is believed to be the shrine of St Peter dating back to the 7th century. It is considered holy to both factions of the Malanakara Church. But after the skirmishes between the two groups, it has now been closed for worship. There are concerns that if a settlement is not reached soon, the tension between two groups will flare up. Since there have been violent clashes between the two factions in the past, police have been deployed in large numbers to prevent any violence.
With tensions rising believers say it now time to end the hostility. Joseph Zachariah a devotee of the Orthodox Church says, "I think this is disgraceful for the entire Christian community. What we need is an amicable settlement. We should end all this."
Currently, a mediation council of the High Court is engaging in talks with the warring factions and efforts are on to reach a settlement.
The Orthodox faction wants the government to implement the court order immediately. Father Dr K M George from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church says, "There is a clear court verdict. If the government implements the order, the matter will be solved." But the Jacobite faction say they cannot be ousted from the church. Geevarghese Mor Coorilos from the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church says, "We have been worshipping here for ages. We cannot be suddenly told that you have no right here and you should go away and build a new church."
The church is believed to be the shrine of St Peter dating back to the 7th century. It is considered holy to both factions of the Malanakara Church. But after the skirmishes between the two groups, it has now been closed for worship. There are concerns that if a settlement is not reached soon, the tension between two groups will flare up. Since there have been violent clashes between the two factions in the past, police have been deployed in large numbers to prevent any violence.
With tensions rising believers say it now time to end the hostility. Joseph Zachariah a devotee of the Orthodox Church says, "I think this is disgraceful for the entire Christian community. What we need is an amicable settlement. We should end all this."
Currently, a mediation council of the High Court is engaging in talks with the warring factions and efforts are on to reach a settlement.
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