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In Kerala, even the dead are not spared in Syrian Church’s turf war
Such is the animosity between the Orthodox and Jacobite factions that one faction doesn’t want the dead of the other in its cemeteries.
Even the dead are not being spared in Kerala as a turf war between two factions of the Malankara Syrian Church - Orthodox and Jacobite – continues to fester with the CPI(M)-led government finding it difficult to implement a Supreme Court verdict in 2017.
Such is the animosity that one faction doesn’t want the dead of the other faction in its cemeteries.
In a bizarre move last week, the Orthodox faction had moved a court in Ernakulam to exhume the body of a Jacobite who was buried two weeks ago. Joseph Pylyi (72), a Jacobite, died on August 20 but the local church under Orthodox control did not allow his burial. After two days of protest his body was laid to rest on August 22 following police intervention. Now the Orthodox faction has moved the court to exhume the body.
“We are terribly upset with the ongoing feud between two factions. It was his wish to be buried in the family tomb at the church. It is really inhuman now a section wants to exhume the body. It is sad even dead are not spared,” said John Pylyi, a relative of late Joseph Pylyi.
Others too have faced such harassment. Fed up with the factional war, last month relatives of an 80-year-old donated her body for medical research. Another body was buried in Kottayam in August three months after death following the intervention of the state human rights commission.
On Friday, the Supreme Court pulled up Kerala again over the factional fight in the church. Justice Arun Mishra reminded the state’s counsel that Kerala is part of the country and it can’t disobey the highest court of the country. It also criticised a judge of the Kerala high court for passing an order contrary to its verdict in a case involving a church in Ernakulam.
While hearing another church case two months back the apex court had asked the state “whether it was above rule of law and it was making a mockery of the justice delivery system” and threatened to jail the chief secretary of the state.
The state government which had to backtrack after trying to implement the SC verdict allowing women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple following large-scale violence last year, now finds itself caught in the middle of the tussle between the two factions of the Malankara Syrian Church despite trying to play peacemaker.
Six months ago when police tried to enforce the verdict in Piravom church (Ernakulam) many believers threatened mass suicide forcing authorities to retreat. At many places believers physically blocked Orthodox clergymen when they attempted to enter churches. Later the government had constituted a sub-committee comprising five ministers to broker peace between two factions but it failed to make much progress.
“We are trying hard for a settlement. We will talk to both sides to end the contentious issue,” said EP Jayarajan, state industry minister who is heading the sub-committee.
The tiff between two factions over the control of 2000-odd churches and 30 million believers of Malankara church (all over the world) is almost a century old. In 2017 the Supreme Court had upheld the 1934 constitution of the Malankara church and gave Orthodox group control over 1100 parishes and churches in Kerala but Jacobites who were controlling most of them were not ready to give up.
Last week Orthodox faction had moved a contempt plea against the state government accusing it of not willing to implement the Supreme Court order. Later Jacobite Metropolitan Mathews Mor Anthimos alleged that Orthodox group had illegally introduced a series of amendments in original document (1934 constitution of Malankakra church) and called for forensic examination of these documents to prove their veracity.
