Patriarch walks into Manarcad amid Orthodox protest

Defying strong opposition from the Malankara Orthodox faction, Ignatius Aphrem II, the Patriarch of Antioch, visited St. Mary’s Cathedral at Manarcad on Sunday, where thousands of Jacobite faithfuls accorded him a rousing reception.The Patriarch arrived at the cathedral around 9.15 a.m. to a sea of faithful waving palm leaves and raising slogans. As he reached the main entrance, he moved into an open-roof vehicle to greet the gathering. He was accompanied by a delegation from Antioch, Catholicos Baselios Joseph, head of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, and other metropolitans of the Church.With the Orthodox faction strongly opposed to the visit, police had made elaborate security arrangements on the church premises to prevent any untoward incidents. After the reception, the Patriarch celebrated the Holy Qurbana at the cathedral. He later blessed the faithful and delivered an apostolic message from a specially arranged stage in the church courtyard. “I appreciate the efforts of both the Union government and the Keralam government, as well as the present and former Chief Ministers, to facilitate dialogue that will hopefully lead us to unity,” the Patriarch said in his address.‘Unity in failth’Clarifying his understanding of unity, he said it did not mean uniformity but unity in faith. “For unity to become a reality, others too must be willing. We are ready,” he said. The Patriarch also released the logo prepared for the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Kottayam diocese. He inaugurated a newly constructed block at St Mary’s College, Manarcad, and blessed a cross meant to be installed at the newly built cross shrine.Speaking on the occasion, Catholicos Baselios Joseph said the Jacobite faction was committed to respecting the limits set by the court. “We will not enter any place where we are not entitled to. If the court says we should not enter Manarcad church, we will not. Just because a bishop does not enter Manarcad church does not mean the faith of the Jacobite faithful will be weakened in any way,” he said.St Mary’s Cathedral has been at the centre of a prolonged ownership dispute between the Malankara Orthodox and Jacobite Syrian factions. The Orthodox faction had strongly objected to the Patriarch’s visit, arguing that it would violate court directives and further aggravate tensions between the two groups. It had also warned that it would view the visit as a State-sponsored programme, given that the Patriarch was visiting Keralam as a State guest.The Kerala High Court had earlier directed the State Police Chief to ensure that the Patriarch did not violate the decrees and Supreme Court judgments governing the dispute during his visit to Keralam as a State guest. This was the Patriarch’s first visit to the cathedral since the Supreme Court’s 2017 verdict in the Malankara Church dispute.The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has reacted sharply to the Patriarch’s visit to Manarcad church, saying the episode had dealt a blow to efforts to secure lasting peace between the two factions. “While the Chief Minister was making appeals for peace between the two churches, the steps that followed those appeals were clearly aimed at derailing the peace process,” said Yuhanon Mar Diascoros Metropolitan, head of the Orthodox Church’s media wing.He also criticised the State government for permitting the Patriarch to enter a church at the centre of a dispute between the two factions. “If the government says it had legal advice to permit the Patriarch’s entry, it should have convinced both sides involved in the dispute. Allowing him to enter the disputed church without doing so has created a wound in the minds of the faithful,” he said. Published - November 15, 2026 07:26 pm IST