Church leader from Damascus arrives in bid to settle disputes

In a bid to help resolve disputes between factions of the Orthodox and Jacobite church in Kerala,head of Universal Syrian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem-II met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at his official residence here.

Aphrem arrived in Kochi yesterday from Damascus on a four-day visit to the country.

The chief minister, in a Facebook post,said the meeting with the church leader is expected to become a significant step in helping resolve disputes between the factions of the Orthodox and Jacobite church in the state.

The chief minister said Aphrem expressed happiness in takingthe dialogue initiative to settle the issues of the two factions of the Malankara church.

"Majority of church faithful wish to go forward after resolving the disputes peacefully. So, the Patriarch should continue his peace efforts. The government will extend all support in this regard," Vijayan said.

Aphrem said during the meeting that he had come from Damascus with the hope that the disputes between the factions could be resolved, the FB post said.

Theophilus George Saliba was among leaders of the local church present during the meeting.