KOTTAYAM: The power struggle in the Malankara Syrian Knanaya Diocese (Knanaya Jacobites) appears to be taking new dimensions.
In the latest development, a court in Kottayam has restrained Patriarch of Antioch from taking any disciplinary action against the Metropolitan Archbishop Kuriakose Mar Severios for fulfilling his duties and obligations under the Church’s constitution.
The Patriarch of Antioch Ignatius Aphrem II had suspended Kuriakose Mor Severios as Metropolitan and ‘Samudaya’ Metropolitan of the Knanaya archdiocese in March 2024. Later, a munsiff court had stayed the implementation of the suspension.
The district court in Kottayam has now dismissed the interim applications seeking to stay the implementation of munsiff court’s order.
In the order, issued on March 4, Additional District Judge P Mohanakrishnan stated that the operation and execution of the order passed by the trial court was not liable to stay as it would lead to the endorsement of an order passed by the Patriarch suspending Metropolitan and it was likely to cause a stalemate situation regarding the administration and management of Knanaya Samudhayam by the metropolitan.
“It is also to be noted that no unbridled powers are available with the second defendant (Archbishop) in view of the impugned order passed by the trial court. The first defendant (patriarch) is restrained only from taking any disciplinary action against the second defendant (archbishop) for carrying out the duties and obligations provided in the Samudayam constitution,” read the order.