Tension continues at Ker church; Jacobite faction refuses to

Tense situation continued to prevail in Piravom in Ernakulam on Thursday as Jacobite priests and followers refused to heed authorities' plea for cooperation to implement the Supreme Court order giving possession of a church here to Orthodox faction.

Several priests and faithful of the Jacobite faction staying inside the Church complex threatened that they would jump into the river in front of the building, if they were removed forcefully.

The stand-off between the two factions intensified following a Kerala High Court directive to the police on Thursday to evacuate those belonging to the Jacobite faction from the premises of the Church, known as Piravom Valiyapalli, and submit a report by 1.45 pm.

The Court gave directive to the police while considering a plea filed by the Orthodox faction seeking a direction to the District Collector to take over the Church and implement the Apex Court order.

The priests and the followers of the Jacobite Church, including a large number of women, protested, saying if the police used force to remove them, they would witness mass suicide inside the place of worship.

"We will not leave the church because this is our home," a top Jacobite priest told the faithful inside the church.

However, he said, "Let the law take its own course."