The Orthodox and Jacobite factions of the Malankara Syrian Church are engaged in a bitter feud over control of churches. Though the Supreme Court in 2017 allowed the Orthodox faction to take over the disputed churches, the order is yet to be fully implemented as the government fears violence and is still in favour of a negotiated settlement.
The Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, while insisting that the court verdict must be followed in spirit, rules out negotiation on this. He says the government, if it wants, can implement the order without bloodshed but it doesn’t seem to be interested. Excerpts from an interview:
Q. Is the Orthodox versus Jacobite dispute in the Malankara Church about faith or property?
A. It is neither about faith nor about property. There are no differences with regard to faith or practices. The question is whether the Patriarch of Antioch has any authoritative role to play with regard to the Malankara Church. In 1912, with the ordination of the Catholicos for the Malankara Church by the Patriarch of Antioch, the powers vested with the Patriarch were effectively diminished. Since the Church is endowed with considerable property, the administration of these is a grey area. From 1958 to 1972, for 14 years, we functioned as a single unit as per the 1934 constitution of the Church, and there was only one hierarchy. After 1972, the Jacobites started ordaining new bishops without the Church’s consent. A parallel hierarchy was created. They threw us and our priests out after 1973. We were driven away and made to approach the courts.
Q. In the light of the Supreme Court (SC) decision to reconsider the Sabarimala verdict, how do you respond to the allegation that the 2017 verdict denied the freedom of worship to Jacobites?
A. There is no question of denial of freedom of worship here. As far as the Church is concerned, we are not against any faithful conducting worship. In Sabarimala, because of traditions, certain groups are prohibited from entering the temple. Here there’s no such thing. We only maintain that the governance of the churches should be according to the 1934 constitution and, therefore, only those metropolitans and priests ordained as per the constitution can offer Mass and prayers. The SC had found that the issues involved are more legal than religious.
Q. Fr Varghese, the vicar of Pazhamthottam church, offered support to the BJP in the recent assembly byelection in Konni. Has the Church lost hope in both UDF and LDF?
A. That was a personal decision of the vicar and the Orthodox Church had nothing to do with it. The Church has no such affinity to any political party, nor do we rely on any political party. We will offer our support to anybody willing to support our Church.
Q. The Orthodox Church is being pressured by international bodies like the Oriental Orthodox Churches to resolve the dispute.
A. The Orthodox Church maintains good relations with other ecumenical churches. In a scenario where the SC has given its verdict, issues pertaining to the Church cannot be resolved by talks. All churches have internal issues and the oriental churches do not involve or mediate in those.
Q. There are allegations that your election was not as per the 1934 Church constitution.
A. No. As per the 1934 constitution, the Catholicos is appointed through an election. More than 4,000 voters including priests and laymen take part in the election. My election has been as per the constitution.
Q. The SC order in the church dispute is yet to be implemented, and the government is still insisting on a compromise. Is there any scope for that?
A. No. We will not encourage any talks that will dilute the SC verdict. The Jacobites and the government want to hold discussions on those issues which were settled by the SC. These include the validity of the 1934 constitution, powers of the Patriarch of Antioch, issues related to the governance of the churches and so on. Their only aim is to delay the execution of the court order. First, they must obey the SC order, then we can talk.
Q. What do you think the government should be doing, as forcibly implementing the order could lead to violence?
A.The Church does not intend to cause any bloodshed. The government and the police have implemented the order at the Piravom church without even a blow being struck. The government knows how to implement the order. It is only that they are not determined to do it. It is a fact that this government is intent on keeping the dispute alive. The government can easily ensure peace, but the problem here is that it is siding with those questioning the SC verdict.
Q. Is there any truth in the allegation that members of the Jacobite faction are being denied burials in the churches taken over by the Orthodox faction?
A. They are making up these cases to gain sympathy from people and other religious institutions. We will not stop any burial services. Destroying and taking away assets of churches, which are considered divine, cannot be accepted. The faithful will not tolerate such stunts.
Q. What are you planning to do next?
A. We are not ready to drag our faithful to the streets. We will move legally if the government doesn’t implement the order. We have already filed a contempt of court petition in the High Court.