KOCHI: Claiming that its churches are being handed over through ‘deception’ and in the wake of the Orthodox Church withdrawing from peace talks, the Jacobite Syrian Church has decided to restart its protests. The decision was taken in the working committee meeting held at the Patriarch Centre, Puthencruz on Friday.
The recent move of the state government, to hand over the St George Church at Mudavoor near Muvattupuzha to the Orthodox faction, while a contempt of court petition is still pending in the High Court, has irked the Jacobite faction.
“Revenue officials and the police forcefully handed the Mudavoor church over to the other faction. What was the need for such a rush when the petition was still pending in the HC? The locked gate was cut open to enter the church,” said Fr Sleeba Paul Vattavelil, priest trustee of the Jacobite Church.
“The Orthodox faction is taking over churches forcefully. We cannot just sit idle and watch them do that. Therefore, we have decided to continue our protests,” said Fr Sleeba. The Jacobite Church will start a series of stirs in the coming days. On Sunday, a hunger strike will be launched in all the churches and religious centres, while following Covid protocol, the Church leaders said.
The meeting was presided over by Metropolitan Trustee of the Jacobite Church Metropolitan Joseph Mar Gregorios. Meanwhile, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Synod secretary Metropolitan Yuhanon Mar Diascoros said the Jacobite faction was trying to prevent enforcing the law in accordance with the judicial system and delay the execution of court orders.
“Their hunger strike is in support of injustice and violence. When it became evident that the peace talks were of no use, the Orthodox Church withdrew from the initiative,” he said.“It is highly condemnable that they are criticising and blaming government officials and police for trying to implement court orders,” he added.