KOCHI: The Patriarch of Antioch Ignatius Aphrem II, the supreme head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, has decided to convene an emergency Synod of all metropolitans at St Mary’s Syrian Orthodox church in Muscat, the Sultanate of Oman, on November 21. The Synod is being convened in the backdrop of the issues plaguing the Church in Kerala lately. As many as 34 metropolitans are likely to take part in the three-day event.
According to Metropolitan Kuriakose Mar Theophilose, spokesperson of the Jacobite Church, major policy decisions will be taken in the Synod. "This is for the first time in my knowledge such an emergency Synod is being convened. The plight of the Jacobites in Kerala is getting worse as the faithful are denied proper burial and the Orthodox faction is taking over our churches by force. It is in this background the Patriarch has convened the meeting," he said.
Initially, it was decided that the Synod would be held in Lebanon. However, considering the political situation there, the venue was shifted to Muscat. “All the metropolitans from India and foreign countries will take part in the Synod. It is known that six metropolitans from Damascus, Syria, will also take part in it,” said Theophilose.
The Patriarch of Antioch will preside over the Synod. However, Catholicos of the Jacobite Church Baselious Thomas I may not attend the event due to ill health. “The Catholicos is very weak physically and he may not attend the Synod if his health condition worsens,” said Fr Sleeba Paul Vattavelil Corepiscopa, priest trustee of the Jacobite Church.