THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Orthodox and Jacobite factions of the Malankara Church on Wednesday agreed to entrust an officer-level committee to settle the issues over sharing of churches and assets.The decision was taken at their meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Chief Secretary V P Joy will preside over the committee, while additional chief secretaries of home and law departments will be its members. The panel is expected to hold talks for a month before the CM meets leaders of the two groups again.
The government and the Church leadership have decided to apprise the court of the talks. The government has also directed the factions not to file fresh cases until a consensus is reached on their issues.
‘Faction wants lost properties’
“The meeting agreed to find solutions through discussion on matters that come within the legal purview,” Orthodox Church secretary Biju Oommen said. At the meeting, the Jacobite church maintained that a final settlement was not possible through the Supreme Court’s verdict, which had gone in the favour of the Orthodox faction. It also reiterated its demand to hold a referendum in churches and sought the return of properties lost. However, Joseph Mor Gregorios, Metropolitan trustee of the Jacobite Church, termed the discussion ‘encouraging’. “Both factions agreed to keep holding such talks,” he said.