The funeral of a 94-year-old man which had been delayed for the past 10 days following a stand-off between the Jacobite and Orthodox factions of the Malankara Church over the ownership of St. Mary’s Church at Kattachira, near Kayamkulam, was held on Tuesday.
Vicar of the church (Jacobite faction) Fr. Roy George, grandson of the deceased Fr. George John, priests, relatives and others attended the funeral of Varghese Mathew Pallikkalethu, who died on November 3.
At a meeting convened by the district administration on Monday, it was decided to conduct the funeral with police protection. Officials said the funeral service was held on Tuesday morning outside the church and the body buried on the church burial ground. “No one was allowed inside the church. The funeral service was conducted without any issues,” said an official.
The funeral was delayed after the Orthodox faction did not allow it at the church. It had made a condition that the grandson of the deceased, a priest who belongs to the Jacobite faction, should not attend the funeral service wearing the priest’s garb. However, it was not acceptable to the relatives of the deceased.
Earlier, the National Human Rights Commission issued a notice and directed the Chief Secretary to intervene in the matter. Both the factions of the Malankara Church have been at loggerheads after the Orthodox faction obtained a favourable order from the Supreme Court regarding the ownership of the church earlier this year.
