KOCHI: The state government on Thursday informed the Kerala High Court that the heads of Orthodox and Jacobite Church factions have assured it that they would not precipitate the issue and insist on the implementation of the court order to take over the Kothamangalam church until an amicable solution is reached. However, this is not reflected in the minutes of the chief minister’s three meetings with the two Church delegations produced by the home secretary before the court.
In the affidavit submitted by T K Jose, additional chief secretary, home department, before the court seeking three months to implement the court order, said if the High Court passed an order now, it would disrupt the so far successful attempt for a peaceful resolution of a long-standing dispute and peaceful implementation of the judgment of the Supreme Court. According to the government, leaders of both Churches have taken the initiative positively and three meetings were already held on different dates.
Jose said the minutes of the meetings held on September 21, October 5 and November 4 were self-explanatory. However, the minutes attached along with the affidavit, which comes to 17 pages in Malayalam, do not mention any such assurance by the two warring church factions.
“After the 2017 Supreme Court order, there has been further rift between both the Churches,” said the Jacobite faction representatives, as per the minutes. The Orthodox representative, who is quoted in the minutes, said the Supreme Court has accepted the 1934 constitution of the Malankara Church, which meant there was no common ground between the two factions.
In its affidavit, the government claimed: “There is a clear understanding that until the final decision is taken in the proposed further meeting, both parties will not precipitate any further issues.”However, the Orthodox faction refuted the government claim. Metropolitan Yuhanon Mar Diascoros, Synod secretary, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, who participated in the meeting, said no such assurance was given at any point of time. “The Orthodox Church has always taken a stand that a permanent solution to the Church’s disputes can be found only on the basis of the SC order.
The Orthodox Church has never agreed to end the debate indefinitely and delaying the execution of the order,” said the metropolitan. Advocate Roshan D Alexander, who is representing the Orthodox faction in the court, said the consistent stand taken by the Orthodox Church all along is that only if the disgruntled faction complies with the directives of the SC’s judgment in 2017 and accept the 1934 constitution, any dialogue can happen between both factions. Meanwhile, the Matha Maithri Samrakshana Samiti organised a hartal in the region on Thursday.