01-March-2007
The Hindu dt. 01 Mar 2007
Judgment by Kerala High Court Judge Ramkumar
Orthodox Church to get parish key
* The vicar entitled to conduct services in the church
* Pre-conditions for Patriarch faction to offer prayers
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday ordered the Revenue Divisional Officer, Idukki, to hand over the key of the locked St. George Syrian Church, Chelachuvadu, to the Orthodox faction in the Malankara Church.
The RDO took hold of the key on September 9, 2006 following disputes over the naming of the church between the Orthodox and the Patriarch factions of the Malankara Church. The court held that the vicar, Fr. K.K. Varghese, would be entitled to conduct services in the church.
The Patriarch faction would be entitled to offer prayers and services if they filed a written undertaking before the vicar that they would not question the 1934 constitution of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and the authority of the Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan Baselius Mar Thomas Didymus 1.
Related Link:
Historic Judgment by the former Chief Justice of Kerala, Jawahar Lal Gupta & Justice M.Ramachandran (dt. 28-Jan-2003), rejecting the request by Methran kakshi for police protection to enter the parishes of the Jacobite Syrian Church
1. SOCMNet .org (full text)
2. Malankara Voice (main points)