Terming the draft ordinance cleared by the State Cabinet on Wednesday a move to impose parallel administration in parishes and cemeteries under its control, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church accused the State government of moving unilaterally against it and vowed to challenge it legally.
In a statement, Episcopal Synod secretary Yuhanon Mar Diascoros said the latest move was aimed at giving undue benefit to the Patriarch faction. The ordinance contradicted the essence of the Supreme Court order on the administration of churches and cemeteries.
According to him, the Orthodox Church will never raise any objections if relatives of deceased persons, irrespective of factional differences, legitimately raise a demand to the vicars of the churches where the SC court order has been implemented. “We have no objections whatsoever if the parish members wish to conduct the last rites of a deceased person by a priest of their choice outside the church. But for burying a dead body in a cemetery under the Orthodox Church, they should definitely get the consent of the vicar in-charge concerned,” asserted the Metropolitan. He clarified that their only demand was with regard to conducting the funeral service under supervision of the vicar who is legally in-charge.
