20-05-2025
Orthodox Church hails call for talks to end factional feud
Kottayam:
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
welcomed the combined statement by the heads of Syrian Church of Antioch, Coptic and Armenian churches to hold talks with the Orthodox and Jacobite factions in India to restore peace and unity.
However, Orthodox Church condemned the gist of the statement, which "expresses their solidarity and support regarding the decisions of the Universal Holy Synod of the
Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch
not to participate in any liturgical celebration and formal theological dialogues in the presence of the representatives of the 'separated' faction of the church in India".
Yuhanon Mar Diascoros, president of Orthodox Church's media wing, said in a statement that Orthodox Church was an autocephalous church in the
Oriental Orthodox Church
and it had its own apostolic tradition.
The Supreme Court of India made crucial verdicts which confirmed the autonomy of the Church and canonical rights, and this was informed with documents to other churches in the world, including the Oriental Orthodox Church and ecumenical organisations, he added.
He said that the combined statement was made by only three heads of Oriental churches in the Middle East, while Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Armenian Apostolic Church, Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Eritrean Orthodox Church were not part of this declaration. Currently, there is no system to speak about the entire Oriental church, he added.
