KOCHI: Terming the dispute between Jacobite and Orthodox faction as painful, the heads of other Christian Churches have offered to hold parleys to find an amicable solution.
In a letter sent to the heads of the Jacobite and Orthodox Churches, Archbishop of Latin Church M Soosa Pakiam, Major Archbishop of Syro Malabar Church Cardinal Mar George Alencherry, head of Mar Thoma Church Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan, Syro-Malankara Major Archbishop Cardinal Baselios Clemis and CSI Central Kerala Bishop Thomas K Oommen lamented the happenings which cause a great pain to the entire Christendom.
The decision to offer their services as mediators was taken by the Church heads at a meeting held on November 27 in the aftermath of the increasing feud between the Jacobite and Orthodox factions following the apex court ruling. According to the heads of the Churches, the disputes ov-er the conduct of funeral rites and offering mass elicit pain.
“We pray to the Lord that the problems are solved without adversely affecting the long-lasting relations between the Churches,” they said in the letter. “We, who believe in the infinite love and mercy of our Lord, pray for His divine intervention in this issue,” wrote the heads of the Churches. According to them, they strongly believe that both Churches need to hold talks to amicably settle the issue as per the canons and civil laws.
Welcoming the decision, Catholicos Mor Baselios Thomas I and Jacobite Metropolitan trustee Joseph Mor Gregorious, said, “The Church has been always in favour of solving the dispute amicably through dialogues.” According to Mor Baselios Thomas I, any efforts made to solve the issues in a manner that upholds the Christian values will have the wholehearted support of the Jacobite Church.Meanwhile, the Orthodox Church, which has been maintaining that it will not entertain any efforts for mediation that goes against the essence of the SC judgment, has yet to respond to the letter.
Lingering fight
Orthodox Church, which has been maintaining that it will not entertain any efforts for mediation that goes against the essence of the SC judgment, has not responded to the letter