Tension in Kothamangalam as Jacobite church followers protest entry of Orthodox faction priest

Tension prevailed at Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district Thursday after followers of the Jacobite Syrian Church prevented the entry of a priest of the Orthodox Syrian Church into the Marthoma Cheriya Palli to offer holy mass.

Hundreds of Jacobite church followers comprising women and priests assembled at the church and blocked the entry of Fr Thomas Paul Ramban, the appointed vicar of the Orthodox faction, who had reached the place armed with a high court order to offer holy mass.

Many of the protesters were arrested but hundreds still remain on the church premises, staging a demonstration.

Ramban was shifted from the area following mounting protests.

Later, he returned to the church but protesters again prevented him from entering.

Jacobite church head Baselios Thomas I said no one would be allowed to take over the church and its property.

Ramban reached the church amid tight security two days after the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition filed by the Jacobite faction against the Muvattupuzha Munsif Court order granting police protection to him.

Jacobites claimed majority of the devotees living in the parish belong to their faction, while Orthodox Church followers are very less in numbers.

Ramban alleged that the protest by Jacobite followers and clergy were in violation of the court order.

Recently, a famous church in Piravom, controlled by the Jacobite faction, had witnessed high tension as police entered the premises to implement last year's Supreme Court order giving control of the church to the Orthodox faction.

In its order, the Supreme Court had ruled that 1,100 parishes and their churches under the Malankara Church should be controlled by the Orthodox faction, as per the 1934 Malankara Church guidelines.