Riots, bloodshed if our churches are snatched by force: Jacobite faction's stern warning to Kerala govt
KOCHI: A day after the Supreme Court warned the state of stern action for not enforcing its order in the Orthodox-Jacobite Church case, the Jacobite faction said there would be riots and bloodshed if the government tried to implement the order forcefully.“There’ll be protests by faithful and peace will be hampered if the government forcefully snatch away our churches. There’ll be bloodshed and riots. The Church will be helpless to prevent that,” Jacobite Church priest trustee Fr Sleeba Vattavelil Corepiscopa told Express.
Jacobite Church official spokesperson Kuriakose Mar Theophilose said the three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court had itself directed both factions to talk and make a decision.“If the Orthodox faction is not willing to take any effort, then how can peace talks happen? Isn’t it a violation of the SC directive?” he asked. The state government had made efforts to bring about peace settlement and sought the help of a committee chaired by Industries Minister E P Jayarajan. It called for a meeting in March, but Orthodox faction did not attend.
Meanwhile, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church official spokesperson Fr Johns Abraham Konat said if the SC’s earlier verdict was followed by the state government, it would not have warned it.“The Church belongs to the faithful and therefore we aren’t against them from entering it. The state government readily implemented the verdict of the apex court on the Sabarimala issue, then why are they not implementing this verdict,” said Fr Konat. Mar Theophilose said the Jacobite Church would decide on the future course of action after receiving the judgment’s copy from the SC.
Cardinal calls for peace
Kochi: Amid the widening rift between a section of priests and the Syro-Malabar Church over the reinstatement of Major Archbishop Cardinal Mar George Alencherry with administrative powers, the Cardinal on Wednesday called for peace.