The St Thomas Ecumenical Church stands as a monument of unity among Christian Churches as well as that of religious tolerance and communal harmony, said Mr Oscar Fernandez, MP, chairman of the Parliament Committee on Human Resources.
Mr Fernandez was inaugurating the silver jubilee celebrations of Nilackal St Thomas Ecuminical Church at the Ecumenical Centre at Angamoozhy on Sunday afternoon.
According to him, St Thomas Ecumenical Trust showed the world how to bring in unity among different churches, giving due respect to the interests and sentiments of other religious faiths.
The message given by the Nilackal St Thomas Ecumenical Church was that of love, fraternity and peace, Mr Fernandez said.
Presiding over the meeting, Archbishop Mar Joseph Powathil who is also the chairman of St Thomas Ecumenical Trust, said the Nilackal ecumenical movement has shown the society how to win over divisions through sacrifice.
Mar Powathil said Nilackal St Thomas Church was the symbol of unity among various Churches in the State.
Major Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram, Baselius Cleemis Catholicos, delivered the keynote address.
Swami Golokananda, president of Sree Ramakrishna Ashram in Thiruvalla, Joseph Mar Thoma, Metropolitan of Mar Thoma Church, Kuriakose Mar Savarios, Knanaya Archbishop, Mar Mathew Moolakkatt, Kottayam Archbishop, Bishop Thomas Samuel of Church of South India, Mar Mathew Arackal, Archbishop of Kanjirappally, Joshua Mar Nicodomos, Nilackal Bishop, Joshua Mar Ignatheos, Mavelikkara bishop, Prof P.J.Kurien, Rajya Sabha member, Anto Antony, MP, Raju Abraham, MLA and Dr Mathew George, World Council of Churches director, also spoke.
