Tuesday, February 4, 2014

The Thrikkunnathu Seminary saga: A different reading


St. Mark 6:1-6.
Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.

The passage introduces us to Jesus who is questioned by people in his own town. He is questioned with regard to his antecedents and family. Isn’t this the carpenter and isn’t this Mary’s son appear to be not just a question asked in earnest but a question which was likely to cause humiliation. Jesus is quite taken aback and does not manage to do much. He is shaken by the question and manages to say that a prophet is not without honour except in his own town.

The question of whether the Jacobite church was well within its rights to enter the contested Thrikkunnathu seminary church and whether this lead to rising of tempers between the Jacobite church and the Indian Orthodox church is a valid question? But more questions should be asked in the direction of what the place holds for the leadership and believers of the Jacobite church.

January 25th was remembered as the memorial day of St. Athanasius Paulose, who was declared a saint of the Malankara church in 2004 by the Patriarch H.H. Mor Ignatius Zaka I Iwas and the Holy Synod, and remembered in the 5th intercessory prayer during Holy Qurbana from 2009 onwards. His life was inspirational not just for the saintly life he lived but for the organizations he started. The Malankara Sunday School Association, the Mor Gregorios Syrian Students Association and a brotherhood and sisterhood were all his brain child. The Thrikkunnath seminary campus was also build by him and people were encouraged to come and settle there. The foundation stone of this seminary was laid by another scholar of the church Paulose Mor Athanasius Kadavil (popularly known as Kadavil bishop). At one point of time many priests and future bishops did their seminary education in this centre. The list included two greats of the church in the form of the former Catholicose H.B. Baselios Paulose II and Bishop Abraham Mor Cleemis of blessed memory of the Knanaya community. What happened due to the closing of this centre to the Jacobites was the loss of an institution and a place to study the word of God and the traditions of the church. Kadavil bishop’s dream was to make this place a centre of Syriac and English learning! This loss is therefore irreplaceable and should be understood as a loss of the right to study and educate the clergy and people of one’s own church!

Today the question from the passage rings loud in our ears as well. Who are you?, who is this?, who are these people?, aren’t they the dissenters? Questions which cause deep hurt in the minds of the people and the leadership. The Jacobite church is still finding its bearings with regard to seminary education. The MSOT seminary in Mulanthuruthy is trying its best to equip candidates for pastoral ministry in the church. Other candidates are also going to seminaries all over India for studying and training. But the fact remains that a centre for excellence was lost in the schism with the Indian Orthodox church.

The morning entry and worship can be seen as a struggle to say that we are indeed the sons and daughters of the carpenter but we also want the space to enter the church (synagogue) and be a part of the deliberations and learn and teach. Denial of entry is a denial of basic human hood and basic rights of numerous people and the clergy who need education as their right to move up the social ladder. It is also a denial to move up and a denial that we exist, despite being together with other churches as the oldest in the country. St. Athanasius Paulose became Valia (Big) thirumeni (bishop) from “Kochu Paulo” (Small Paul). The yearning of the community is to study and become big in the same manner. The land which the church stands is therefore land which the people of the church wish to touch and be blessed.

St. Athanasius Paulose brought about a social transformation for the community by giving impetus to education of people and the clergy. The church was dealt a double blow on losing him as we lost both a steadfast leader and his vision for better education, which may have also been an inheritance and legacy of his predecessor Paulose Mor Athansius Kadavil. The entry can be seen as a yearning to walk on the ground that these educators walked, to inherit the values that they spoke of and practised and to touch their entombed remains as a means of saying “We will struggle and study and try and come up. Please be with us in our struggle.”

As we continue to pray for peace let us also understand that standing for Jesus and with Jesus entails suffering and hardship. This is not status quo but a march for attaining rights to exist and be accepted. Peace should prevail and it will when the dust has settled. Until then let us not think that we can be veiled from reality and what is happening in the church. Prayer forms a powerful form of protest which says that even though others will not accept us and honour us as living beings, we will continue to believe in Christ Jesus and the way he dealt with the questions “What’s this wisdom that has been given to him” and with the insults of others taking offense with him. The very people who have cut off our lines of education and upbringing are now questioning our antecedents. Let us continue to pray and hope that God may offer peace, a peace which brings about justice even when it passes all understanding. Amen.


(Excerpt from a sermon preached in St. Mary's JSO Cathedral, Bangalore on February 2, 2014.)

21 comments:

Dr. Jacob Mathew said...

Respected Jerry Achen:

Well said. Closing great institutions does not do any good to anyone. One faction in the dispute is behaving like the mother who came in front of King Solomon and insisted that either she has the kid or kill the kid so no one will have it.

All of us (laity and clergy from both sides of the argument) should protest the abuse of the process by the police towards our High Priests. Let me ask a question: do you think the police would have dared to touch a Muslim clergy this way? If so, Mr. Chennithala's dead body would have been floating in a creek with all the parts missing and he knows it. They are abusing Christians because they know they can get away with that. This is Christian Persecution and should be reported to UN and human rights organization. Police have no right to abuse our clergy who are involved in a civil dispute and it should be settled in a civil manner and not based on what the politicians in the government thinks.

Fr. Jerry Kurian said...

Thanks for the comment Dr. Jacob. I agree with why police brutality should be questioned. It shows the inexperience of the government despite claiming otherwise. I will write a follow up to this specifically dealing with police brutality. Thanks again.

Unknown said...

Dear Brothers in Christ,

Loved reading the article and the analysis. Whatever be the rationale given, there are settled ways of dealing with things in a country governed by law. Breaking into a church which is under the custody of someone else is definitely an offence. Attacking and brutally injuring a person who tried to prevent this is again a grievous offence. If reports are to be believed, the people including the high priests participated in these heinous acts. Argue what you may like, the circumstantial evidences also suggest preparation for violence considering the type of articles the group of people had carried along in the vehicles.

Dear Achen and Dr Jacob, There is no category like High Priest in the Rule of Law, all are equal before the Law. If the priests and high priests act like thieves, thugs and goondas, they are bound to be treated by the Law like that. One of the High priests was high enough to jump over a High wall to enter the Church premises and one led in the brutality against a priest. Please consider the offenders fortunate that they got off with lighter sections of the CrPC and the IPC and are out on bail to enact further dramas. This is true to any person regardless of the caste creed religion or status. Those who reap shall sow.

Why are you crying foul with what the Police did and why compare with other religions? Every other day a person from one or the other religion cries foul at the mistreatment he / his fellow got from the police and accuse the Police of harassing that religion. If every other fellow says they should be handled with kids gloves because they are high priests and big guns, what will happen to the state of law and order in the state and the country?

If they are high priests, they should better behave like one and obey the law of the land and follow the established procedures prescribed by the Law. Don't you think that this breaking in in the middle of the night and the hooliganism enacted like this is a shame on the entire Christian community??? Don't you think conducting the Holy Qurbana like this is a mockery of the holy sacrament and people have started laughing at this dramas?

And my dear brothers in Christ, This is not Christian persecution. I think you get these ideas because you have not really undergone what persecution is. If a Hindu breaks into your parsonage and steals food from there and then the police gets him in custody and charges him, do you call it Hindu persecution? Come on.

Clergy involved in civil dispute should settle matters in civil and civilised manner. But when it it becomes criminal, the whole tenor changes.

Reporting it to UN and Human Rights Organisation?? Please do not make others laugh at you. People who indulge in crime will be handled accordingly.

I do not knnow how long the "politicians" inside the Church (includes some high priests as well) can keep fooling the ordinary man..

God save the Church..

Anonymous said...

Dear Westkutt - you missed the fundamental point of the article- why is this seminary closed? Why is it that the rightful owners (come on it's quite clear who built the seminary and for what purpose) have to break in? Not all those who are arrested for breaking in are thieves...

Fr. Jerry Kurian said...

Westkutt: Thanks for the detailed comment. I would like to make two points.
1. The emphasis of this post is clear. It is not about what everyone else is saying. Rather it is about losing one's right to and for education. This particular church conflict has hurt us more because we lost an opportunity to study. The Indian Orthodox church on the other hand did not go through this.
2. Some answers to the points you raised are available in my new post about how the government can and should change its approach.
Thanks again for commenting.

Fr. Jerry Kurian said...

The question of present and rightful owners is a very important issue indeed. Thanks.

Alex said...

Dear Achen,
With all due respect to founders of the seminary, I would like to bring out few questions. I totally understand pain of losing something valuable in life & losing an institution which should have been a place of rich heritage & center of excellence...
Having said that can you please try to answer the below basic queries
1. Was is it a Christian or humanly right act that happened on Feb 1, 2014 ?
2. Did it bring fame or shame to Jacobite Church based on your angle?
3. Do you think Holy Qurbana was conducted in a manner is intended for? If not could you answer us what would be the impact based on church teaching?
The problem we have is no one is willing to repent or obey word of God. We all have ears but not willing to hear.. Have eyes but not willing to see. There are shortcomings definitely for years from both factions.. In lieu of approaching law of court/government.. We should approach the law of God... ie.. Immense love & care for each other.
Achen, please keep bible away in order to justify these kinds of devilish acts so that you would not be condemned/cursed (as St Paul says)...There is no biblical base in it. The anecdote you chose does not imply Christ came to disobey the law of land. He came to fulfill the laws which Adam failed to do. Only through obedience of Christ we have salvation due to divine mercy. (Read Romans 5:19...the whole paragraph is possible).. We are still like Adam who never repented in life.. We just try to humanly justify our mistakes.
We all want legitimate owners of historical buildings, but do not care of our own children and next generation nor how we currently live. What for? We need to care for what we do today as it will be history tomorrow. We do not care for corpses to get a respectful burial instead we use even them as tool to fight just like political parties to. We get condemnation from media, government, God and our sister churches. We need to think where we are heading to rather than what we did in past.
The church has turned away from God .It is just a tool to socialize / to get social recognition especially for the modern generations. Unless we repent and shed tears (as some of our forefathers did), there will never be peace. Most church leaders have left the bible from their hand and started using court orders in order to conduct speeches to justify their acts…
I apologize if I have hurt you or any readers through my words.. Kindly take it as words from a silent observer. I am not trying to justify or condemn any faction, but trying to write a few words which may open eyes for at least some one.
Thanks
G Alex

Fr. Jerry Kurian said...

Dear G. Alex,
Thanks for the sincere comment. I guess one can argue from different perspectives. My point is that the Indian Orthodox church has benefitted more from the feud than the Jacobite church. But those who benefit usually then accept that and allow others the opportunity of coming up the social ladder on equal terms. This is all I ask.
Was it right to enter and offer Holy Qurbana? We are talking here about the Jacobite church and Indian Orthodox church. They are two churches with a shared heritage. Both believe in Holy Qurbana as the ultimate expression of humility and power at the same time. My home town Thiruvalla has seen the case of the Jacobite church letting go of two churches completely. One was built and donated by my family along with other Jacobite families. We let go because the Indian Orthodox bishop chose to use his episcopal authority to wrongly enter and then sit tight in the church, leading to the church now belonging to the Indian Orthodox church. So using qurbana as a way of expression of faith is common to both.
In Bangalore one of the main Indian Orthodox churches was built on the land donated by a Jacobite church member. He was decent enough to turn over all the documents before his death a few years ago. We did not go there and try to express our right. In a similar way we have let go of several churches. With churches people also had to switch over. The lack of a seminary, church and place to bury leads church members to go to other places. So what, you may ask? Our duty as priests includes offering places of worship for our members. This is a fundamental right they can ask for and we are well within our rights to express this.
I invite you to the St. Mary's Cathedral in Bangalore where I am pastoring in. There we do not teach our children to hate any church. They are brought up in the true foundation of Christ Jesus, in an ecumenical manner and told that only love matters in the end. We have modelled our pastoral ministry with an eye for the future and therefore involve all groups in the church. People have a right to raise their opinions.
We try to be biblical in all things we do. We may make mistakes but we also have the assurance from God that God will stand with the poor and the oppressed. Ultimately God will decide.
Let both churches stop hurting each other and preaching to each other. Let us learn to respect and love. I came across a notice on facebook asking the Indian Orthodox Christians to fast for the three day Nineveh lent against the forces of evil who are out to destroy the church!
I find nothing Christian in this. This inspires me to tell people in church to fast for the poor, the needy and the oppressed in India and the world.
I accept your comment with all humility and ask God for guidance so that I will understand the gist of your comment and also walk along the path of God for the people of God. Thank you and God bless.

TJ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TJ said...

The sentimental attachment that many in the Syriac Orthodox (Jacobite) Church have for the Thrikkunnathu Seminary is specifically for the tombs of the holy fathers of the Church, who during their lives lead exemplary spiritual lives and stood steadfast in loyalty to the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. That this was one of the chief instructional centers for the clergy is an important historical fact and most definitely its loss caused irreparable damage. Yet such thoughts are lost upon the faithful in the diocese who are struggling for their rights to seek intercession at the tombs of these saints. Often these conflicts are depicted as struggles for power and wealth; in this case, it is important to note that these faithful are not struggling to cease the Seminary and the property but for a right to worship at a place that is very sacred to them. You rightly point out that many churches and institutions have been yielded to the opposing faction to avoid conflict - a fact conveniently overlooked. But it is not easy to walk away from a place that is inextricably tied to the memories of those blessed shepherds who had such great spiritual influence on their flock. I hope, in a Christian spirit, both factions can agree to restore worship in this church and reach an amicable settlement to share such rights.

Emmanuval said...

Dear Achen,

Your article is thought provoking in many ways. There are merits in your view and I am sure, the other faction too may come up with meritorious views as well.

I was looking for your answers to the questions Alex posed (copied below), but couldn't find any in spite of your long reply.

1. Was is it a Christian or humanly right act that happened on Feb 1, 2014 ?
2. Did it bring fame or shame to Jacobite Church based on your angle?
3. Do you think Holy Qurbana was conducted in a manner is intended for? If not could you answer us what would be the impact based on church teaching?

My interest is to know if there are meaningful (impartial) answers to those questions. [In many of the online forums I have seen beating around the bush instead of answers for similar questions!] Also people start saying, the other faction did something similar else where etc... They are definitely not answers, but justifications only because the one who answers feel it was not appropriate had there been no similar actions from the other party in the past. [the last sentence is just my opinion only]

While analysing many of the unsettled communal clashes anywhere, I find culprits are those who hold high positions of warring factions and many a time it is a game of existence for them.

Thanks,
Emmanuval

Fr. Jerry Kurian said...

TJ- Ultimately the people of the said place should decide their future and all of us should respect that. Thanks.

Fr. Jerry Kurian said...

Emmanuval- Thanks for commenting. One way of theological articulation and thinking is to pose questions and I take the questions in that spirit.
Your observation of whether we can be impartial is difficult because I believe that there can be no 100% neutral and impartial observation just as we see in the media.
Coming to the questions already asked by G. Alex...
1.Was is it a Christian or humanly right act that happened on Feb 1, 2014 ?
2. Did it bring fame or shame to Jacobite Church based on your angle?
3. Do you think Holy Qurbana was conducted in a manner is intended for? If not could you answer us what would be the impact based on church teaching?
1. My point is simple. Can I judge whether it was a Christian act? I don't think so. The biblical notion is let the one who has not committed sin throw the first stone. I feel my responsibility as a priest is not to judge. This can better be answered by the people of the place as they are the ones who have been on the receiving end for so long. This is not an answer which should come from the leadership or any priest. As soon as I judge I become God, which I am not. In my post I have not judged the Indian Orthodox church or the government. I have only made observations. So I can only say whether Feb 1 was right or not when I know what were the thoughts in the minds of those who were there. Any guess work would be inappropriate at the moment.
2.This we can answer only if we take an opinion poll of all members of the church. This has never been done by both churches. We are all going with the notion that this is what people want. The real people who can answer this are again the stake holders. We have a bad habit in society. That is to make someone say that they are wrong and we are right. I have no such notion. The High court has given a land mark judgement saying that the decision making in individual churches lies in the hands of the people there. If we make use of this, the people will say as to what is right and wrong.
3. I again can't answer how and why Holy Qurbana was conducted on that day. What I can say is how as a priest I am expected to conduct Holy Qurbana. I should not have anything against my sister or brother nor should I be angry against someone and wish for the bad of someone. This includes making sure that the poor have eaten and the oppressed have been given their due!
I wrote two posts side by side. One was on the Thrikkunnathu seminary and the other on the racist murder of Nido Taniam in Delhi. The first post has got more than 700 hits and the second 40! Where has our responsibility for our brothers and sisters gone? Aren't people from the North East India our brothers and sisters? Can we offer qurbana until justice is given to them? We can't would be the answer. The problem in Syria is even more serious. Thousands of our brothers and sisters have left their homes and belongings and are staying as migrants in different parts of the world. What has been our reaction to this? How many days have we fasted and prayed for them? Syrian churches continue to offer qurbana and for many both these are not issues at all. What justice are we then talking about? Humans are being attacked, Indians are being attacked, Christians are being attacked. Don't we have any Christian view and response to this? So all qurbanas should be conducted after looking after the welfare of our brothers and sisters. But they don't just belong to one region or church. We can't be Cain's and ask "Who is my brother?"

In conclusion I am willing to accept any fault I do and willing to apologize for it. Whenever I am sure my church has done something wrong, I am willing to apologize for it. Without this, any prayer, let alone Holy Qurbana will not be effective from my part.

G Alex said...

Dear Achen,

Thanks for the answers. My questions are common man’s questions irrespective of the faction you belong to. The legitimate answers are hidden inside it which most readers can understand.
You would have got greater honor and respect, if you had proclaimed the profound & blatant truth which does not need even a voice poll... Why the truth cannot be proclaimed is because we all in inside a shell. If we break out the shell, it will threaten our own existence. The same applies in a bigger dimension to our leadership, whether it is clergy, priest or high priest. Greater the hierarchy, thicker is the shell. This is the one of the root causes of the current schism. Unless the shell is broken, the clashes will carry on for one reason or the other ( any number can be invented theologically or biblically or based on nothing). If you get a chance view the movie clip from “Fiddler on the Roof”- Tradition song- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRdfX7ut8gw . I would like to rephrase one of your sentences “We try to be biblical in all things we do...” as “we all try to be politically biblical in all things we do...”
May God save the tradition & churches… let all the saints we seek intercession help to break this shell so that we live with mutual respect and care. The shell we are in can only be broken with Holy Spirit which will alleviate the inner fear in us.

Thanks
Alex

Anonymous said...

Respected Jerryachen,

I have read in your about the Trikkunnathu Seminary. Till then I always think why our leadership is taking so much interest every year, which make us all a laughing stock. We shouldn't fight for it etc. etc.

Now I am very clear why it is very close to the heart of our brotheren around Trikkunnathu Seminary.

Thank you very much for opening my eyes.

Yours sincerely,
Varughese

===================
C.J. Varughese
MDP Office @ IIMA

Unknown said...

This whole article and most comments are based on one misunderstanding: that Thrikkunnath seminary is 'closed'. I suggest the author as well as all who left their comments here to visit Aluva. The seminary is NOT closed. Previously H. G. Dr Philipose Mar Theophilos resided there, and after His Grace passed away, was interred adjacent to the church. Now H. G. Yuhanon Mar Policarpos resides in the seminary building along with some seminary students. Also each and every day, his Grace offers incense at the tombs of the metropolitans. Just because channels give media coverage only in January 3rd week, and just based on the emotionally driven comments of your prelates, don't fool yourselves into believing that either the SEMINARY BUILDING or the SEMINARY CHURCH are closed. THEY ARE NOT CLOSED. As to who 'built' the seminary, I suggest you stop ranting and search some historical chronicles and texts by yourself. For example, the diary kept by Geevarghese Ramban who was in charge of construction of the seminary could shed some light on your wrong assumptions. Respected Jerry acha, anyone can write silly articles like this which are aimed at infuriating the faithful into emotionally driven deeds, based on wrong notions and misinterpretation of history. I sincerely hope priests abstain from such methods. They are not befitting to priesthood. Pray for peace in Malankara. Have you prayed for that today? I know you haven't.

Fr. Jerry Kurian said...

There is an interesting quote attributed to Napolean Bonaparte. It says "History is a set of lies agreed upon." Laying claim to history and saying that one side is correct is the usual practise I suppose. Your comment has justified my writing of the post. More than ownership, my point was that of the oppression of Jacobites through lack of educational, worship, ideological, spiritual and intellectual freedom. The Indian Orthodox church has taken away this freedom more so by sowing seeds of conflict in many places.
I wrote on what I have seen, read and heard. A cat is a cat even if you try hard to tell me otherwise. I know the churches which have been closed with many oppressive techniques which are much beyond any spiritual explanation. I have personal experience of this but you may still not agree with me.
I have been writing now for close to 6 years in this blog itself and have numerous write ups to validate my theological and spiritual view point.
Church issues for me are not limited to Syrian churches alone and go much beyond that. I am very much aware of local and internatinal racism practised in the churches as well and have written about it. It is interesting to note that people never see such things or conveniently wear blinders while going through my blog.
Your final request is also much beyond your freedom as an individual because it infringes upon my freedom as an individual. I have the right to write what I feel is the truth. This is my intellectual freedom. I can't allow you to take it away from me. People like you have preached your version to us a lot and we have been asked to accept it like slaves.
But today hear this, "we are slaves to no one but God." Anything else is a figment of your imagination. I never ask a priest what he prays. That is his space between God and himself. You have even taken that space from me and judged me even though you don't know what I do and do not pray.
I accept your comment as your intellectual freedom and hold on to my view point as it is clearly my intellectual freedom and becomes part of my relationship with God.
I wonder why a simple solution of the church/churches going to the majority and the minority getting freedom to worship or getting a church build for them along with rights for using the cemetery is not acceptable to the Indian Orthodox church? In my reading this is not acceptable because then the problems will cease to exist and the church won't have anything to talk about anymore.
I appreciate your mind to articulate and write. I cannot convince you of my sincerity, spirituality and faithfulness as I think this is a personal thing and something that I don't need to do as ultimately only 'God' judges. God bless.

G Alex said...

Respectful Achen,
Applauses to all the thought provoking articles! I preferred not to comment any more, but since an open question has been raised & my mind is not stopping me in responding.
“I wonder why a simple solution of the church/churches going to the majority and the minority getting freedom to worship or getting a church build for them along with rights for using the cemetery is not acceptable to the Indian Orthodox church” is an excerpt from your own blog.
Here is my perspective of it.
1. The solution itself is NOT SIMPLE. The whole aspect of majority or minority itself is a function of time, leadership and certain actions. Therefore, if majority factor swings as times go by, the crisis would also deepen. Certain fundamentalists of Jacobite church are now fundamentalist of IOC. (Includes bishops, priests & laity). & vice versa. This would apply to any common person too.
2. If a bifurcation happens as per your suggestion, it would be an invitation for never-ending clashes. We have witnessed it in our own church for a century now. The proportion of fanatics will grow based on set of lies agreed on. What is happening to one of the most beautiful states of India namely Kashmir? Has not the gravity of destructions & hostility will be many folds in coming years. Same is case with Andhra
3. We do not have an ideological difference, which distinguishes us. The subtle differences are very hard for a big majority to understand. If we possessed ideology, our leadership would also have been ideological. Unfortunately, we see one of the most political leadership our own churches.
4. Majority of church may ask for peace through unity. If majority/minority is the answer, well this should have been in place. Even every court & many diplomats tried its best for years. Isn’t our own pragmatic leadership preventing it for their self-existence? If sequence of events is analyzed from 70’s it’s a powerful minority hijacking the church, which has prevented in any sort of solution making process since their existence is on basis of the hostile environment.
Few solutions, which may work out, are...
1. We need to open some space in all the beautiful churches & in minds of followers to pray for a solution from GOD & strengthen our fathers.
2. Wounds among certain families are very deep. Immediate actions like unity or division will deepen the crisis. Someone folks need to work on its healing process. It will take time.
3. Both churches should establish a steering committee of respectful folks from both sides, which can work jointly in settling down at least street clashes?
4. Blogging sites like yours are truly encouraged, as long as it does not sell hatred and deepens wounds in many followers. Unfortunately, there are many articles even from official church publications, which sell hatred. This practice need to be discouraged.

Thanks
Alex

Fr. Jerry Kurian said...

G. Alex,
Sorry for the late reply. Have been very busy lately. I thought it is meaningful to write today in light of the passing away of H.H. The Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas. He indeed strove and tried for peace in the church. I am sure that many solutions can be put forward for peace in the church. But more than anything, there needs to be a sincerity and a true wish for peace and a mind with humility that sees people in the world as our sisters and brothers. Hope atleast a few can come to this understanding and work towards living the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks and apologies for the late reply.

Anonymous said...

Church bishops and priest are becoming so greedy these days that they are not able to preach an iota of what they preach. What will happen if both the groups relinquish their claims

Fr. Jerry Kurian said...

Practice what you preach can definitely be the simple prescription for a lot of ailments in the church/es.