Patriarch leaves for Chennai

Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church Ignatius Aphrem II left for Chennai on Monday after a 10-day visit to the State.

The Patriarch, who is scheduled to dedicate a church in Chennai on Tuesday morning, was seen off at the Cochin international airport by Saju Paul and V.P. Sajeendran, MLAs.

The Patriarch, accompanied by members of the clergy and a large group of Jacobite Church members, left the airport around 8.15 p.m.

He is scheduled to meet President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and All Indian Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the Patriarch met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at Kothamangalam.

The Patriarch’s first visit to the State after he was installed head of the Syrian Orthodox Church early last year was marked by a call for unity between the two factions of the Syrian Church. He called for sacrifices on both sides to achieve peace.