Saturday, Feb 01, 2014
Thiruvananthapuram: The Thrikkunnathu Seminary in Aluva was the scene of high drama on Saturday following the decision of the Jacobite Church head to hold mass at the disputed premises at around 3am.
The potentially explosive situation was contained following the arrest of the church head, Baselius Thomas I Catholicos Bava. Police also arrested a few bishops and priests of the church in an attempt to avert any further trouble.
Bava was later shifted to a private hospital after he complained of “physical uneasiness”.
The surprise intrusion into the disputed building, which had been locked, came just a week after a division bench of the Kerala High Court fixed timings for the two factions of the Malankara church to offer prayers at the Thrikkunnathu Seminary church and at the tombs of the church’s forefathers as part of memorial services.
The property includes the historic 19th century Thrikkunnathu Seminary and the St Mary’s Church. The two factions of the Malankara Church, namely the Malankara Orthodox Church and the Jacobite Syrian Church, have been warring over the ownership of the seminary and the church for decades.
The district administration and police maintained a strict vigil at the site, considering the likelihood of retaliation from the Orthodox faction. Orthodox Church believers said the situation could have been averted if police had taken precautionary measures and condemned the Jacobite faction’s move to hold a mass after trespassing on the premises.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the government would not show favour to either faction of the church.
“All churches are alike for the government. No one will be allowed to violate the law,” Chennithala said.
The disputed church had been closed for more than three decades and prayers were only allowed recently after directives from the court. Successive mediation efforts to settle disagreements over the use of St Mary’s Church have failed in the past.
In 2005, the disputed property was also the scene of violence when police had to resort to a baton charge when the dispute between the two factions got out of control.
Bouts of violence are normally linked to the plans of both factions to conduct memorial services of the Metropolitans buried in the tombs attached to the church. The Jacobite faction has been demanding entry for their faithful, including metropolitans and priests, to enter the premises to hold mass, while that demand has been opposed by the Orthodox faction.
By Akhel Mathew?Correspondent
Gulf News 2014. All rights reserved.
