Taking a serious note of the recent controversies that have rocked the church, an Episcopal synod of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has endorsed a directive proscribing its clergy from serving as members of political parties and propagating political ideologies.
The synod, presided over by Catholicos Marthoma Mathews III, head of the church, also asked the metropolitans of various dioceses to pay more attention in this regard. The move comes in view of a series of distressing events that unfolded after one of its priests, Fr. Shaiju Kurien took membership of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Fr. Kurien, then secretary of the Nilackal Diocese, took membership in the party at a function attended by Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan on December 30, 2023. The move, however, did not go down well with a section of the diocese members, who went on to stage a public protest in front of the Nilackal diocese at Ranni.
Alerted by a growing wave of protest, the church headquarters soon swung into action, constituted an inquiry commission, and temporarily removed the priest from his positions in the church
It also initiated action against another priest, Fr. Mathews Vazhakunnathu, who had openly challenged Fr. Kurien’s decision to join the BJP, during a TV news discussion. The priest was summoned to the Catholicate place in Kottayam and suspended from all ecclesiastical duties pending investigation into his alleged derogatory remarks against Dr Joshua Mar Nicodimos, the Metropolitan of Nilackal diocese.
The Synod, in which all metropolitans of the church took part, also accepted a recommendation from the Church managing committee to form new dioceses in Australia and Canada. In line with a proposal to increase the representation of women in church administration, a decision to suggest necessary amendments in the Constitution of the church too was made.
Other decisions taken include: Books authored by first-generation priests of the Orthodox church will be translated to Malayalam. Plans underway to formulate schemes for raising the participation of youth and children in the church activities. New spiritual organizations will be constituted for men and women between 40 and those above 60, respectively.
