Monday, January 28, 2013

Malankara Orthodox Almayavedhi: ബാബു പോളും മലയാറ്റുരിന്റെ ബ്രിഗടിയരും Part II

Malankara Orthodox Almayavedhi: ബാബു പോളും മലയാറ്റുരിന്റെ ബ്രിഗടിയരും Part II: അടുത്ത കാലത്ത് സി എസ ‍ എസ പ്രസിദ്ധികരിച്ച ഓര്‍മയുടെ പടിപ്പുരയില്‍ എന്ന ബാബു പോള്‍ പലപ്പോഴായി എഴുതിയ ലേഖനങ്ങളില്‍ പത്രോസ് ശ്ലീഹായുടെ പ്രഥമ ...

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

A Belivers' Dream that Vanished

Behavioral scientists say that your thoughts guide your actions,repetitive actions determines your character,and that dreams are your hopes dormant in your subconscious mind.I am not a behavioral scientist who can throw more light on the subject.What I deal with here is the failed negotiations between the puthan Cruz society and believers church.A dream project that could have fetched good returns for both,but prematurely aborted

Politics is said to be a force that brings strange bedfellows together.Adversity too can bring together groups who have nothing in common.Jacobite Church (which is actually a society registered under Societies Act with its Headquarters at Puthan Cruz,Ernakulam District in Kerala)is in serious trouble.On the one side,it is loosing court cases one after the other for control of Churches.It is loosing faithfuls in 3 directions-to Orthodox Church,to Malankara Rite Catholic Church,and to sectarian churches.At least 3 Bishops have revolted against their Mafrian Basaliose Thomas I and are rumoured to be negotiating with Cardinal Basalius Clemis to join Malankara rite.It is also rumoured that some more Bishops are interested for joining Malankara rite.It appears that Catholic hierarchy is sceptical about the advantage in absorbing all of them unless they can bring with them a decent number of followers-both priests and laymen.They also have a problem in accepting married priests.At the lifetime of Mar Ivanios ,founder of this rite,they had accepted married priests who joined the rite along with him and some who joined later.But those who became priests after formation of the rite are under oath of celibacy.Now,if a substantial number of married priests for JOC are to become part of Malankara Rite,they are inviting trouble.Already there is a lot of soul searching going on in Catholic Church about the celibacy of priests.Presence of married priests in one of the rites can trigger demands for lifting the vow of celibacy to priests,not only in Malankara rite,but in other rites too.

The shrewd tactician in Mafriana moved for a kind of arrangement with a sectarian church named Believers Church.Although K.P.Yohannan started off as a sectarian Chuch,he got himself ordained as a Bishop by 3 protestant Bishops.He is facing enquiry by different Government agencies on breach of rules in his financial transactions.He does not have the political clout to get these investigations quashed by political power.So an alliance would have been convenient for both the parties.Financial clout of Yohannan in return for the political clout of Mafryan could have been a win-win situation for both.JOC have practically no following in Thiruvalla side where Belivers Church has a decent presence.

However,the laity in JOC rose in revolt against the move.They found nothing in common with believers Church-in terms of tradition,litergy and faith.They could see that the move was not motivated by any spiritual consideration.Rumours were afloat about large sums of money chasnging hands.Quiet a few Bishops and clergy rose in revolt.The patriarch of Antioch also made a decisive move.H.H. issued an Apostolic Dictum asking Mafrian to stop all such moves.With both the Patriarch and the faithfuls against his machivellian designs,the mafrian was forced to call it off.

And there ended a beatiful believer's dream-atleast for the present