KOCHI: The Supreme Court’s decision on the Sabarimala issue by letting a larger bench decide on matters of faith has brought hope to the Jacobite Syrian Church which had lost control of various places of worship to the Orthodox faction following an SC verdict.
“The recent judgment has given us hope that the church dispute will also be reconsidered as it is a matter of faith and belief and not of property,” said Metropolitan Kuriakose Mar Theophilose, spokesperson of the Jacobite Syrian Church.
“Since the Orthodox faction ignores to accept the Patriarch of Antioch, how can we let their priests conduct masses and burials without the Patriarch’s blessings?” he said.
He said they were forced into this position as they lost the 2017 SC verdict.
“Dispute in Malankara Church remains unresolved as it is a question of faith. In a way, we are being denied our fundamental right to worship our Patriarch. We have been forced to join another church to even conduct the funeral of our members. Since, the apex court considered the belief of Sabarimala devotees in the review petition, we are hopeful the authorities would grant us our right to worship in future,” said Theophilose.