Published Oct 01, 2024 | 1:07 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 01, 2024 | 1:07 PM
Kerala High Court. (iStock)
The Kerala High Court on Monday, 30 September, orally directed the district collectors of Ernakulam and Palakkad to take possession of six churches embroiled in the long-standing Orthodox-Jacobite factional dispute within a week.
Considered by a single bench comprising Justice VG Arun, the court cautioned that failure to comply with its directive could result in the summons of the respective collectors and the state’s chief secretary.
The court is said to have remarked orally, “The takeover must occur within a week. Otherwise, the chief secretary and the district collectors may find themselves spending time in court.” The court’s warning follows the failure to execute its previous order issued on 30 August.
As per that order, the Ernakulam collector was instructed to take over St Mary’s Orthodox Church Odakkali, St John’s Besphage Orthodox Syrian Church Pullithanam, and St Thomas Orthodox Syrian Church Muzhuvannor.
Similarly, the Palakkad collector was ordered to take possession of St Mary’s Orthodox Church Mangalam Dam, St Mary’s Orthodox Syrian Church Erickinchira, and St Thomas Orthodox Syrian Church Cherukunnam.
In 2017, the Supreme Court dismissed petitions filed by the Jacobites seeking a review of the verdict given by the same court on 3 July that year, giving the Orthodox group control of more than 1,100 parishes and churches.
Upholding the 1934 constitution of the Malankara Church, the apex court observed that only the Orthodox faction could control the parishes.
The Supreme Court’s earlier verdicts — in 1958 and 1995 — also favoured the Orthodox faction. But Jacobite church leaders say the court order deprived believers of their places of worship.
In all its rulings, the Supreme Court advised the factions to function together as they have no differences on spiritual matters. However, the Jacobites physically resisted whenever the Orthodox faction used favourable court orders to gain control over disputed churches.
The police and revenue officials deputed to implement the court orders were roughed up or were abused, whenever the factional fights spilled out onto the streets.
Now, both churches are functioning as parallel entities, threatening each other at regular intervals for allegedly meddling in each other’s affairs.
In March 2023, when the LDF government announced that it would enact legislation to end the over-a-century-old conflict between the two factions, the Orthodox group called the move a bid to appease the rival Jacobites.
The Orthodox faction viewed the government’s move as an attempt to reap electoral gains in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
As per the draft legislation, accessed by South First in March 2023, administrative control of the disputed parishes will remain with the Orthodox faction.
But, the law guarantees Jacobites the right to worship in all parishes.
Whenever conflicts over the presence of Jacobites in such parishes occur, district collectors and police superintendents can intervene, and resolve the dispute by holding dialogues with all concerned, the draft Bill said.
The decades-old dispute between the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church lies in both factions’ claim to ownership of valuable church properties and their struggle for ecclesiastical authority.
Despite court rulings, the Orthodox-Jacobite conflict remains unresolved, leaving the faithful caught in the crossfire of a century-old rivalry.
As the dispute escalated over the years, it became entangled in numerous legal battles and sporadic violent confrontations.
The origins of the dispute date back to 1599, when the Synod of Diamper was convened at Udayamperoor in Ernakulam district.
This historic diocese council meeting established a set of rules and regulations for the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala’s Malabar Coast, formally aligning them with the Catholic Church.
However, a faction of the Malankara Christians rejected the authority of the Pope and declared allegiance to the Patriarch of Antioch, setting the stage for future divisions.
However, the split deepened in 1910, resulting in the formation of two distinct groups.
While one faction, the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, continued to follow the Patriarch of Antioch, the second group, Kerala Malankara Orthodox Church, supported a bishop based in Kottayam.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
