KOCHI: National Commission for Minorities member V.V. Augustine said on Tuesday that dispute between the Orthodox and Jacobite factions of the Malankara Church over churches should be settled through finding the will of the majority.

New churches could be built, he said and called for the sharing of the existing cemeteries by the two factions.

Mr. Augustine said his report on the incidents at the Aluva seminary late last month and early this month would be submitted to the State Home Ministry soon. He described as unfortunate the incidents that ended up in police action.

According to him, it would not be impossible to unite the two factions. They should recognise each other as separate entities.

He also called for a permanent set-up to settle disputes and called for discouraging defections of priests and higher church officials from the factions.

Mr. Augustine said the faithful should be led in the true Christian spirit of love and sacrifice.

RDO's action flayed

Meanwhile, the Orthodox faction has decided to file a petition in the Kerala High Court against what the Church spokesman described on Tuesday as "breaking open of the church" of St. Peter's and Paul's, Kolenchery, on Monday for worship in connection with the annual feast day celebrations of the church's patrons.

Mathews Severios, Metropolitan of Kandanad West, condemned the action by the district authorities on Monday to open the Kolenchery church despite the parish authorities refusing to handover the keys of the church to Moovattupuzha RDO M. I. Francis. The RDO was reportedly acting on an order from District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish.

He said that allowing the Jacobite faction to hold worship in the church of Tuesday morning was a severe challenge to the rule of law. He accused the RDO of violating the assurances from the Government and court directives.

The Metropolitan alleged that miscreants had tried to blast the name plaque at the church in an attempt to erase the origin of the church.

He said a blast was heard near the church in the afternoon and it had left a big hole on the floor below the plaque declaring the inauguration of the church in 1961.

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