Church Feud: CM takes middle stand

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ceaser can not play Vicar, but Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, managed it. The political consequences, however, may haunt him.
Chandy, a practising Christian, belongs to the Orthodox faction of the Syrian Church which is engaged in a ding-dong battle of supremacy with the Patriarachal faction of same church under the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Ignatius Zakka-I who is currently on a week-long visit to Kerala.
It was Chandy who inaugurated the silver jubilee celebrations of the installation of the Patriarch of Antioch at Kochi on Tuesday. The state government had also declared the visiting spiritual head a "state guest" despite the visiting visa rules denying any foreigner to indulge in religious functions in the country. Interestingly, many of his political opponents had been prominently seen at the function.
Starting from a case in 1836, it has been a long series of litigations and disputes between the two factions in one of the oldest Churches of Christendom. Apart from the question of supremacy by the Patriarch, the row was mainly centred around the control of about 1,660 churches and their huge properties. Syrian Christians who consider themselves the real "blueblooded" christians are a well-heeled community.
Lately there have been physical clashes between the two chruch followers. The former chief minister A K Antony, an atheist, had chided at the two for "unchristian behaviour". He however never tried to mediate.
The Orthodox faction claimed the control of the churches through the Malankara Christian Association, set up as per the Supreme Court verdict. However, the Jacobite faction walked out of the Association to form its own, and about 500 churches disassociated from the Association and even won the approval from the High Court on their freedom.
A meeting of the Orthodox faction held at Aluva near here on Monday 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. Political advisor to chief minister told The Times of India that the government would see that the visit generated no friction.
The Patriarch will be here for a week and the chief minister too will be on his toes till the shepherd leaves.