KOCHI: As calls intensify to ban festival fireworks after the Mundathikode tragedy, recent church circulars urging parishes to skip pyrotechnics during ‘palli perunal’ and redirect funds to charity have gained renewed relevance.
On Thursday, Malankara Orthodox Church Catholicos Mar Baselios Marthoma Mathews III urged the faithful to avoid excessive celebrations. Terming the Mundathikode tragedy “heartbreaking,” he said repeated precautions after such disasters have proved short-lived.
He stressed the need for lasting measures to prevent similar tragedies during festivals and ceremonies. “Apostles and saints are not appeased by fireworks, but by the purity of a believer’s heart,” he said, urging devotees to use the money spent on firecrackers for charitable causes such as building homes for the poor.
Nearly a month ago, the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church issued a circular directing parishes to strictly avoid fireworks during festivals. In the directive, released after the Synod in March, Catholicos Baselios Joseph cited a rise in firecracker-related accidents. As safer alternatives, he suggested organising other forms of entertainment, such as laser shows.
Fr Tom Olikkarot, public relations officer of the Syro-Malabar Church, said the church had issued and implemented a similar directive seven years ago. “Many parishes, especially in Malabar, follow it. However, monitoring compliance at the individual parish level remains difficult,” he said.