A humble plea to the Orthodox Leadership.

The rift between the Malankara Orthodox Church and the Syrian Orthodox Church (Jacobites) in Kerala and elsewhere in the world is getting murkier and murkier after each passing day. Even though the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the 1934 constitution, hoping that the priests would find a permanent, peaceful solution, acceptable to both parties, not in favour of any church, the Malankara Orthodox Church takes it as their victory. Before God is there victory or defeat ??

None of the Malankara Orthodox church leaders has come forward to issue a detailed statement of the stand of the church in this rift other than stating that the verdict of the SC has to be followed. But is the Orthodox church following it in the right spirit that was desired by the Supreme Court, taking the other side also into confidence and working to bring permanent peace, not eternal rivalry and further split. Has the Orthodox church taken the initiative to offer peaceful negotiations and discussions with an aim to solve the rift, not to prolong it.

Justice Benjamin Koshy (retd.) has this observation to ensure peace. It reflects probably the thinking of the silent majority from both sides...instead of going on talking about the past, let’s think about present and future.... 👇👇

Quote:
As soon as July 3 judgement came I have stated in many forums that by discussion we can implement the judgement  and that will be more easy and speedy than execution of judgement by force.   Implementation of judgement by discussion bring permanent peace. Since now all unclear points in earlier judgement were clarified  there is no scope for further dispute. But if we execute the judgement a small group may break away and they may establish churches nearby and it will be a permanent head ache and it will continue for generations to come. When I say discussion, it is not for giving more powers to patriarch or for diluting 1934 constitution or Spreme court judgement but for speedy implementation of judgement in a peaceful manner in a Christian spirit. What to do with the priests and bishops etc can be sorted out in discussion in a mutually agreeable manner. Winning side should invite for discussion   

Majority of our members want peace and unity and not division of the church. By no means we should not take a stand for dividing the church by compelling a group to form another church. We cannot go away from the cannon we produced and marked. Let Holy Spirit lead us to unity and peace in our church   Anti Christian advises cannot be accepted.   Now all political parties, media’s, churches and other religions are against us. If we offered discussion and they want to deviate from judgement, result would have been different. Advocates and certain leaders may want the dispute to be continued, it is for their existence. The other side is doing very criminal activities due to desperation. Barring fanatics and those who are living by this dispute, everyone want settlement without diluting the principles. For discussions government or outside interference is not required. There are mature bishops and leaders on both sides. I request every body to pray for peace and unity in the church.  : unquote

Second posting of Justice Koshy in response to few comments..👇👇

Quote:
Even now we can discuss with out a third party.   Settlement is difficult if there is undue delay & we should not refuse discussions.  I am sure that unity is possible by the grace of our loving God. Believe in His powers. Nothing is impossible for Him. Our attitude only makes the difference. My experience as an advocate for 27 years and experience as Chief Justice for 14 years and 7 years in quasi judicial capacity as chairman of applet tribunal for “prevention of money launderers act and confiscation of property of economic offenders and narcotic act” and human rights commission are evidence.  I am sure that even now settlement is possible with out diluting Supreme Court judgement.
Unquote.

My added explanation to substantiate Justice Koshy's stand. Is worldly justice same as heavenly justice ? Just because it involves land and buildings which were built up or donated by the laity, do the priests have such an over-riding say in the church's materialistic affairs ? Can the materialistic issues of the church be decided by the clergy, who are just keepers of the assets prepared or donated by the laity. One senior intellectual in the society questioned the rights of the clergy to decide the fate of these assets donated by the laity.

How Christ-like it is ? Is this what Christ preached in this world ? During these times, what are the Christian lessons our head priests including Bawa are giving to our growing youngsters ? What are the Christian values these high priests exhibit through their lives than one of senseless and sinful opulence, plenitude, luxury and affluence ? What sacred, devotional, divine lessons do our spiritual leaders convey through their lives to these youngsters ?

Home prayers, spiritual guidance from parents are the only means we can handhold our youngsters. We never discuss the factional rift at home because we know how shameful and disgraceful it is. The Orthodox church and it's overtly materialistic spiritual leadership have failed our youngsters, we should all bow our heads in shame..

Since 3 July 2017, whenever the Jacobites have come for talks and negotiations, we have flatly refused any negotiation at all. 29 months are over we are still busy, slowly annexing the empty concrete structures called churches without any believers,  throwing away all Jesus' principles of love, forgiveness.. In the meantime, the Jacobites have already started negotiations with the Catholics for a possible merger, and starting a group called Jacobite Catholics ..

The general understanding with our people is that our priests and high priests don't practice what they preach of love, understanding, forgiveness etc ... This is the issue our youngsters cannot  understand. How can our priests be such hypocritical ? Double standards, a set of standards for the laity and another set of standards for the clergy..

As of my information, we do not yet have a copy of the original 1934 constitution. If by some bad luck, some aspect of the invisible 1934 constitution is misinterpreted by law and court takes a new stand asking us to give our churches to Puthencruz group, how will it feel like? 

Any intelligent leader would have gone for negotiations with the responsive and malleable Jacobites who were under pressure and ensure a peaceful, respectable and enduring resolution of the case.

Honourable discussions are a must, not just court verdicts, for such issues like faith, belief etc.. Even UN does it in the General Assembly and Security Council, countries do it between ambassadors .. what is our problem  ? Why can't we, being victors, at least call them for a meeting ? Foolish obstinacy 😥

The fact that is often conveniently overlooked is that the forefathers of Jacobites too have helped to build the church as much as ours, when all of us were Thoma Christians for 2000 years. We all share the same ancestry and rich history. anybody knowledgeable of church history of 2000 years would realise how futile and senseless it is to harp on post 20th century when the richness of Indian Orthodoxy is the history of 1900 years ? How can we suddenly, one fine morning, forget our rich common ancestry and dispossess them and throw them out ? Really unfair, isin't it ?

Throwing all virtuous Christian values to the wind, while the doves in the Orthodox church want a peaceful, amicable, non-belligerent, placatory, respectable solution to this issue, the hawks look to humiliate, discredit and smear our Jacobite brethren and want to finish off the rich common shared Orthodox traditions once for all. How unfortunate 😢 ..

Can't we give peace one last chance, not seven or seventy times .. 🙏🙏 We want to stay united, not divided .. Educated, sincere, knowledgeable individuals both from the clergy and laity from both sides need to sit across the table and find a spiritual, God-bearing solution, laced with love, understanding, forgiveness and compassion to this intense crisis that has hit the most ancient Christians of the world ..

I am reminded of this famous quote by the late Russian litterateur, the 1970 Literature Nobel Prize winner, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -

“It's an universal law – intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility.” 

The Malankara Orthodo Church has educated leaders but presently it is in the hands of certain ill-educated, short sighted leaders who are keen on taking it to its eventual disintegration.

George..