Malankara Orthodox Church responds to Patriarch of Antioch’s call for peace, stresses respect for court verdicts

Yuhanon Mar Diascoros Metropolitan (File photo) Welcoming Patriarch of Antioch Ignatius Aphrem II’s call for lasting peace in the Malankara Church, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church on Wednesday said reconciliation could be achieved immediately if the laws of the country and the Church were respected.In a statement, Yuhanon Mar Diascoros Metropolitan, president of the Church’s media wing, cautioned that a call for peace would ring hollow if accompanied by attempts to defy court verdicts.“While calling for peace on the one hand, it is not right to make preparations to violate court verdicts on the other,” he said.Court verdictsHe pointed out that the Patriarch required the permission of the Catholicos and Malankara Metropolitan to enter churches belonging to the Malankara Church, as made clear in the 1995 court verdict. The 2017 Supreme Court verdict had also categorically ruled out parallel administration in the Church, he said.“The path to peace cannot be paved by challenging the judiciary. Unfortunately, we are witnessing administrative machinery extending protection to violations of the law. This goes against constitutional values. Everyone is bound to abide by the Constitution and the laws of India,” the Metropolitan said.He also welcomed what he described as a belated recognition of the legacy of St Thomas the Apostle by those who had earlier been reluctant to acknowledge it. “It is poetic justice that those who once questioned the legacy of St Thomas the Apostle are now willing to recognise it, at least through press statements. It is also gratifying that those who argued that the Apostle had no priestly authority are now invoking his legacy,” he said.Mulanthuruthy SynodThe Metropolitan said the relationship between the Malankara Church and the Antiochian Church had been clearly defined by the Mulanthuruthy Synod of 1876. The Synod had recognised the Patriarch as the spiritual head, a position also acknowledged by the Mavelikkara Synod of 1754. The Malankara Church, however, had consistently opposed attempts to extend this position into one of absolute authority, he said, adding that the 2017 Supreme Court verdict had upheld the Church’s position.Taking issue with references to the Mulanthuruthy Synod, he said those speaking at length about the 1876 gathering were ignoring the role of Metropolitan Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysius, who was elected its president.“This amounts to a challenge to history. Remarks made before the media without understanding the differences between the East Syriac and West Syriac traditions are equally misleading. Attempts to erase history are no different from trying to plug holes with darkness,” he said. Published - November 12, 2026 06:47 pm IST