The attempt by the Kerala government to broker peace between the Malankara Church factions has suffered a blow with the Orthodox Church announcing its decision to withdraw from the talks initiated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Addressing presspersons here on Friday, the Church leaders held that the submission of affidavits by the Home Secretary and the District Collector in the High Court in connection with the Kothamangalam church case was a move against the Orthodox Church. With this, the role of the bureaucracy in the politically motivated movement against the Orthodox Church had become evident, they said.
“The Orthodox Church would like to know whether the Home Secretary had submitted this affidavit with the knowledge of the Chief Minister. The Church members understand that the government is postponing the execution of the court order with an eye on the election,” said Yuhanon Mar Diascoros Metropolitan, Malankara Orthodox Church Episcopal Synod Secretary.
Doubts raised
He accused the State government and the Ernakulam Collector of taking a stance against the Orthodox faction and doubted whether the government was colluding with the Patriarch faction. “That the Home Department, which is not even a party in this case, submitted an affidavit in connection with the Kothamangalam church case is incomprehensible,” he said.
