Patriarch arrives on 7-day state visit (Kerala)

SEPTEMBER 20, 2004

KOCHI: Patriarch of Antioch, the supreme head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox church, Ignatius Zakka Iwas, arrived here on Monday on a seven-day visit to Kerala.

He was given a warm welcome by the head of the Jacobite Syrian church in Kerala Catholicos Baselious Thomas I, bishops, state minister Dominic Presentation, UDF convenor, P P Thankachan, MP Lonappan Nambaddan, among others.

The Patriarch will be attending a public meeting at the Marine drive grounds here as part of the silver jubilee celebrations of his enthronment as the supreme head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox church.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Union Power minister P M Sayeed would participate in the meeting.

This is the third visit of the Patriarch to Kerala.

The orthodox faction of the Malankara church has opposed his visit, saying it would violate the Supreme Court's verdict in the row between the Jacobite-Orthodox factions.

Source: THE TIMES OF INDIA

'Days of agony' for Oommen Chandy during Patriarch visit
Kochi, Sep 22 , 2004

In a break from his political tests, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is passing through the ''days of agony'' of another sort, with his own religious community putting him on the burner over the visit of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Ignatius Zakka-I as a state guest.

For Chandy, a practising Christian, the pangs are both spiritual and administrative, with his own community threatening to pose law and order problems during the visit of the Patriarch to some disputed churches, in a new phase to the century-old feud between the Orthodox and Jacobite factions of the Malankara Church.

After the supreme head of the Universal Syrian Church, which endorses the Jacobite faction, almost shut the doors of a patch-up, the rival faction decided not to allow the Patriarch into any of the 1,068 disputed churches.

''We have tried several times and took initiatives. (There will be) No more initiatives now from our part. Now it is for them to come and talk,'' the Patriarch told newspersons yesterday on the first day of his seven-day visit to Kerala.

A meeting of the Orthodox faction held at Aluva near here last night, on the other hand, condemned the alleged efforts to capture the churches by the Patriarch's faction and asked the state government to ensure strict implementation of the Government Order regarding the visit.

Catholicos Baselius Marthoma Mathews II, the head of the Orthodox faction, went to the extent of saying that he would even sacrifice his life to protect the rights of his Church.

(Agencies)

Ordination jubilee celebrations begin

KOCHI, SEPT. 21. The scenic Marine Drive and an enthusiastic gathering of more than 50,000 people provided the perfect ambience to the beginning of the silver jubilee celebrations of the ordination of the head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church, the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, Ignatius Zakka I Iwas.

Huge gathering

The faithful had begun to converge on the Marine Drive early in the afternoon for the programme that began after 4 p. m. The huge canopy that was erected on the Marine Drive ground was overflowing with people eager to have a glimpse of the spiritual head of the Syrian Orthodox Church. Dignitaries were taken to the dais, 10 feet high, with the help of an elevator even as the Patriarch arrived on a motorised chariot to spirited greetings from the faithful.

The meeting was inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, who said that he was happy and proud to be part of the celebrations. He recalled that the previous two visits of the Patriarch had raised a lot of heat and dust but after the visits they had died down.

Welcomed

Earlier, Joseph Gregorios, Metropolitan welcomed the gathering. Baseliose Thomas I, Catholicos, said in his presidential address that it was not to raise controversies or to make quarrels that such occasions should be used.

Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, head of the Syro-Malabar Church conveyed his greetings on behalf of the Catholic community in the State.

The Industries Minister, P. K. Kunhalikutty, the Minister for Fisheries, Dominic Presentation, Sebastian Paul, MP; K. V. Thomas, T. M. Jacob and Saju Paul, MLAs; O. Rajagopal, former Union Minister of State for Railways; the UDF convener, P. P. Thankachan; the SNDP Yogam General Secretary Vellappally Natesan; Philip Mathew, chairman of the Press Trust of India and businessman, Yusuf Ali, were among those who participated in the public meeting.

Source: The Hindu

Iwas terms forcible conversion as "very bad" strategy :

 India News > New Delhi, Sep 30 : Denouncing forcible conversion as a "very bad" strategy to spread religion, Supreme Head of Syrian Church Ignatius Zakka I Iwas today said some sections were trying to "buy" people to their fold.

"We see some people from the West who have their own new methods, they approach people and persuade them to switch to those ideas. These people who are not part of any church but certain sects or communities, help to buy people which is very bad," Zakka Iwas told reporters here.

Pointing out that it is "our" duty to share the teachings of Christ, he said, "we do not force people to follow the church." Asked about the increasing attacks against Christians in India, he said he was sure that the governments concerned are "wise and capable" to solve the problem.

"These attacks are not new and it is happening all over the world. But we do not know who are behind these attacks," he added.
 

When quizzed on the feud between two factions in the Syrian Jacobite Church, Iwas, on his third visit to the country after being concecrated as the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, said "if anybody wants to separate then we cannot question them." "They (orthodox faction) have their own ideas. They are talking about nationalism. They are foloowing crazy ideas like these in religious matters. These ideas will not bring us together and we will lose a lot," he said.

None from the orthodox faction contacted him, he said. Some people even tried to prevent him from visiting India. PTI

Source: India News Channel

Full-fledged episcopal synod held after 186 years

Fri Sep 24, 2004 

The full-fledged Episcopal synod of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian church was
 held here on Thursday in the presence of the Patriarch of Antioch, H.H Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka Iwas, after nearly 186 years.

The synod, held at St George Jacobite church at nearby Karingachira, was attended by Catholicos Baselious Thomas I and 18 metropolitans. This was the first time in the recent history of the Malankara Church that the Synod was meeting in the presence of the Patriarch.

Briefing reporters on the synod deliberations in the presence of the Patriarch, synod secretary Joseph Mor Gregorius said that the Church would carry out its expansion with special emphasis on indigenization. ``The Church is already on the path of Indianisation. But we want to accelerate the pace,'' he said.

As part of the Church's ``expansion project'', the synod also decided to set up more dioceses, consecrate additional bishops and new churches would be set up outside Kerala and efforts would be made to translate the liturgical texts and rites in regional languages of other states. He said the church had lots of followers in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and north India.

Another major decision was the declaration of the St Mary's Church at Mannarcadu as a pilgrim centre.

The synod also permitted the parishioners of St Thomas Jacobite Syrian Church, North Paravoor, and St George Church, Arthattu in Kunnamkulam to remember Abdul Jaleel Mor Gregorius and Sleeba Mor Osthathios respectively in their prayers. The names of both the departed spiritual heads were included in the `Thubdeen'(the episodes in the prayer which remembers the forefathers and the rich heritage of the Malankara Church) of the Jacobite Church.

On the disputed closed churches, the Patriarch said churches are for worship. Churches should be opened and followers of both the Orthodox and Jacobite factions should be allowed to worship, he said. The court cases with regard to the disputes between the two factions should be freezed, he said.

The synod assumes importance in the light of the ongoing factional feud between the Jacobite and Orthodox factions of the Malankara church over several issues, including distribution of church properties.

In the morning, Patriarch declared the ancient St George Jacobite Syrian church at Karingachira near Tripunithura here as Cathedral of the Jacobite Church. Established in AD 722, the St George church has witnessed several historic events in the history of the Malankara Church. The late Geevarghese Mor Gregorius Metropolitan, popularly known as ‘Parumala Thirumeni’ ascended the first step of ordination at this church. The church structure is a perfect blend of Persian and Indian traditional architecture.

In the press conference the Patriarch said that his decision to declare St George Jacobite Church as a cathedral would not amount to violation of the Supreme Court judgment. ``It is a spiritual matter. My act cannot be dubbed as a violation of the Supreme Court directives,'' His Holiness said.

Source: SOCM-Press Bureau