Kerala - Kochi   

Jacobite bishops offer prayers

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: Catholicos Baselios Thomas I along with eight metropolitans of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church offered prayers at the tombs of the Fathers of the Church buried on the premises of the disputed Thrikkunnathu seminary and St. Mary's Church near Aluva on Thursday.

The decision to allow the Catholicos and the metropolitans into the disputed premises was taken after prolonged discussions between the district administration, led by District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, and representatives of both factions of the Malankara Church.

The Thrikkunnathu seminary and the St. Mary's Church premises came under a security blanket on Thursday after members of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church declared that they would make their way into the premises to pray at the tombs.

The District Collector said that about 500 policemen were posted around the area and that it had been secured to prevent any untoward incidents as hundreds of church members from both the Jacobite and Orthodox factions appeared heading for a confrontation.

The police were armed with water cannons and barricades. As per the status quo in the dispute, only lay believers are allowed to enter the premises while Church leaders, including metropolitans and the Catholicos, are not allowed in. However, a spokesman for the Jacobite Church said that this was the 100th death anniversary of Kadavil Paulose Mar Athanasios, Senior Metropolitan.

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