India

Kochi CM Urges Church Unity Amid Ongoing Dispute

By PTI

Chief Minister V D Satheesan urged unity among churches in Kerala on Friday, saying the government would support efforts to bring them together. He spoke at the 150th anniversary of the Synod of Mulanthuruthy, organised by the Jacobite Syrian Church at Puthencruz, where Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church, was present. Satheesan’s appeal comes amid a dispute between the Jacobite Syrian Church and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church over ownership and control of several churches in the state. He said that if the churches united, they could strengthen their influence, spread the message of Christ, carry out charitable activities and build institutions of love. He added that such unity would benefit the state and urged all to consider coming together. The government would participate in the reconciliation process, and Satheesan formally inaugurated the gathering. Ignatius Aphrem II, who is visiting Kerala, had also recently called for unity between the two churches. Actor Mammootty addressed the event after receiving the Sreshta Bava Award, instituted in memory of late Catholicos Baselios Thomas I, the former head of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church. The award, presented for the first time, recognised Mammootty’s contributions to cinema, charity and social service.