Express News Service
Kottayam, July 6
The row between the Orthodox and the Jacobite factions over various actions of the controversial Mor Sevarious Moses Gurgan, the German bishop who was consecrated three years ago by Yuhanon Mar Milithios and Thomas Mar Athanasios, is snowballing further with Baselios Thomas-I, the Catholicos of the Jacobite sect, demanding a clarification from the Orthodox faction on Tuesday whether the leadership of the latter are privy to all the current developments in the Church.
At present, Yuhanon Mar Milithios and Thomas Mar Athanasios are aligned with the Indian Orthodox sect.
Unsatisfied with a few reports suggesting that the Orthodox Church has washed off its hands off Mor Gurgan’s moves, stating that it is not linked in any way with the latter after the consecration, the Jacobite Catholicos asked the Orthodox faction to reveal whether any action will be initiated against Mar Milithios and Mar Athanasius for leading the consecration, since the root cause of all the current issues is the naming of the German priest as Mor Sevarious by the two metropolitans by laying their hands. Mor Gurgan had eventually styled himself as the Primate of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Europe, a new group.
The Catholicos told a news conference held at the office of the Manarcaud Church on Tuesday that Rev Gurgan was consecrated as a bishop by the two bishops of the Orthodox sect, who were originally from the Jacobite faction but migrated at the height of the Church feud, fully knowing that the foreigner was expelled from the Church by Zakka Iwas-I of the Holy See of Antioch. “It has to be suspected whether the entire scheme was to create problems for the Jacobite Church,” he said.
After assuming the role of the bishop, Mor Gurgan is meddling in the affairs of the Church here and had been soliciting the support of disgruntled and blacklisted priests, the Catholicos said. Of late, a priest from the Orthodox sect and another from the Jacobite fold were enticed and frocked as spiritual heads with ornamental vestiges through a five-minute affair held at a hotel in New Delhi by Mor Gurgan, Catholicos Thomas I said.
The criticism of the Jacobite sect comes even after Baselios Marthoma Didimos-I, Catholicos of the Orthodox Church, had withdrawn the approval and acceptance granted to Mor Gorgun, recently. The withdrawal of the acceptance was announced in response to the explanation submitted to the Catholicos by Mor Gurgan about the ordination of two bishops, which became unacceptable to the Malankara Church. Mor Gurgan is viewed as one who is building ground to counter the Holy See of Antioch. Kuriakose Mor Theophilus, Elias Mor Athanasius and Zacharias Mor Phelixinos were present at the news conference.
Violence can never be justified
On the attacks on the CMS College here and the chopping off of a hand of a college professor at Thodupuzha, the Catholicos said all acts of violence were highly deplorable and could not be justified for reasons whatsoever. He also disapproved of the trend of mud slinging at the judiciary and courts by any quarters.
Mar Baselios I said that a slew of programmes have been planned in connection with the valedictory celebrations of the centenary of the priesthood of the late Paulose Mor Athanasius of Aluva, scheduled for August 8. Financial aid for higher education of economically poor students, eye donation campaign, tree saplings planting drive in association with state and Central governments, rainwater harvesting measures and construction of 100 houses for the poor are some of the charted programmes.
