KOTTAYAM: When Baselios Marthoma Paulose II was enthroned as the Catholicos of the East and the Supreme Head of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church on November 1, 2010, the dispute between the Orthodox and the Jacobite factions was at its peak. The long-pending litigations and disputes over sharing the administrative powers of churches created several difficulties for the Church and the Catholicos during the subsequent decade.
Even while disputes shook the harmony in the Malankara Church, the Catholicos, as the head of the Orthodox faction, stood strong to restore peace. He believed in the concept of ‘One flock, One shepherd’, which was borne of the desire that the Malankara Church might become one flock under one shepherd.
The Catholicos hoped for a strong intervention on the part of Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Unfortunately, his wishes did not fructify due to hurdles from both factions.He also made open calls towards bringing peace within the Church.
“Dear children of Malankara Church, we have a dream. We are one. We belong to the same blood, and the same family. We have the same faith and the same worship. We want peace. We must live under the same roof. We must worship God as one body,” the Catholicos said at the Catholicate Centennial Conference on November 25, 2012, at Marine Drive in Ernakulam. On July 3, 2017, the Supreme Court pronounced a landmark judgment in the Malankara Church dispute marking the end of a long legal battle.
It was Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Paulose II who led the Orthodox Church in the legal battle. After the court’s verdict, Catholicos Paulose II longed for the reunion of the Orthodox and Jacobite factions on the basis of the court verdict. Though he stood for peace, he could not see it come to fruition.
Catholicos Paulose II worked with the aim of a litigation-free Malankara Church. He had to face criticism and difficulties for having taken such a stance.Born in a farmer’s family, Baselios Marthoma Paulose II was well aware of the sufferings of the poor and the common man. He took the initiative for several novel projects. One major initiative was the Cancer Care Centre set up at Parumala at a cost of `100 crore. He also launched ‘Snehasparsam’, a free treatment assistance scheme for cancer patients from poor families. By implementing voting rights for women in parishes in 2011, the Catholicos took a significant role towards women empowerment as well.