Malankara Orthodox Church says ‘no’ to joint declaration in Kerala
KOTTAYAM: In a clear indication that peace remains elusive among the warring Jacobite and Orthodox factions of the Malankara Church, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) on Tuesday condemned the joint declaration issued by the heads of three Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East on Sunday.
While it welcomed the peace mediation efforts initiated by the heads, the MOSC denounced the other aspects in the joint declaration, which endorsed the decision of the Universal Holy Synod of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch to refrain from participating in any liturgical celebration and formal theological dialogues with the Orthodox faction.
The MOSC said the decision was made by a regional assembly of leaders of three Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East, which lacked legitimacy, and contended that the leaders were misled by the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch.
“The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Armenian Apostolic Church of Etchmiadzin, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church were not involved in the joint declaration. Apart from local groups and pan-Oriental dialogue platforms, there is no single representative body that speaks for all Oriental Orthodox Churches,” said the MOSC’s Inter-Church Ecumenical Relations department.
Asserting that the MOSC was an autocephalous church (appointing its own head) within the Oriental Orthodox Church community, the statement said the Church had a unique apostolic tradition and Christian witness.
“Since 2017, the Church has resisted the attempts by the Antiochian Syrian Church to isolate it from international Orthodox conferences and has blocked them legally and theologically through sensitive participation,” it said.
The MOSC also reiterated its strong objections to the consecration of Mar Baselios Joseph as the new Catholicos of the Jacobite Church by Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, the Patriarch of Antioch. It claimed the Patriarch was attempting to establish a parallel governance structure within the Church by ordaining a member of the Malankara Syrian Church as Maphrian, a move that allegedly contravened the constitution of the Malankara Church, and sought to gain international recognition.
“The Malankara Church will respond in international church and debate forums against the Patriarch’s uncanonical actions,” it stated.