THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Braving the lashing rain, thousands of Jacobite faithful, including women and children, on Sunday gathered at the Marthoma Cheriyapalli, Kothamangalam, to re-enact the historic ‘Koonankurish Sathyam’ or Coonan Cross Oath.
The faithful took the oath in pretty much the same fashion in which it was held at Mattanchery in 1653 where hundreds of believers had gathered and tied ropes to a wooden cross near the pier and vowed not to submit themselves before the Portuguese ecclesiastical authorities.
And the members of the Jacobite Church tied a rope to the stone cross in the courtyard of the church and pledged their allegiance to the Patriarch of Antioch.
Thousands of faithful held the rope which stretched all the way to Nellikuzhy situated five kilometres away.
According to Sleeba Paul Vattavelil, priest trustee of Jacobite Church, thousands of faithful from parishes across the state took the oath. The Jacobite faction decided to re-enact the historic Coonan Cross Oath in the wake of two major Malankara churches, in Piravom and Kandanad, passing into Orthodox faction’s hands following the SC verdict.
“This is the Second Coonan Cross Oath which is meant to reaffirm our bond between the throne of Peter in Antioch and the church in Malankara. This is also a protest to show our strength that thousands of faithful will join us in our fight for justice,” said Sleeba.