Congratulations Ladies of Orthodox Church

The Managing Committee of the Malankara Orthodox Church that met today (Oct. 19, 2011) has unanimously accepted the constitution revision proposals of the Rule Committee that women of the parish should be given equal right in the parish assembly.  This is the first time women are getting full membership in parish assembly in any of the ancient churches in India. Congratulations! Of course this is only the first step and we have to go two more steps for full participation right. But this is the right step forward and in five years’ time we will have the other two steps too. We have broken the twenty centuries old tradition. This is a revolutionary thing to happen in our Church. Let us thank God. I am giving below the text of the report given by me as the Commission appointed by the Holy Episcopal Synod to study the matter and place proposal. Of course the Synod, the Rule Committee and the Managing Committee made several changes. But this was the basis. I am indebted to the Holy Synod for giving me the opportunity to do some thing like this first in the history of our Church.

Technically this has become the law of the Church. Practically it will become effective when H.H. The Bava Thirumeni issue a Kalpana to this effect, which I am sure will happen in few days time. according to our constitution this amendment can be reversed only by the Association which is a less than one percent possibility.

The report is in ‘god’s own country’ language. Sorry about that (there are 11 pages You can go to http://yuhanonmilitos.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/article-in-souvenir-of-ne-america-diocese/ for an abridged version of the report in English).

This is how Thomas I does things for himself

Exclusive Document!!! Thanks for waiting. It is available now.

Poor Keralites

Here is a mail from some one:

dear thirumeni

i am (?) the last date given by the govt on kolenchery has expired.We should not put our decisions back.we should get what we asked.but last day when i was just looking in the site http://www.niyamasabha.org in the un-stared questions http://www.niyamasabha.org/codes/13kla/session_2/qstns/html/03.10.2011-CM-u.htm question number 1477 asked by suresh kurup,babu palasewrry,selvaraj, raju abraham, that question was regarding this case. answer for the question was given by cm.in it answer for question b he says that  orthodox church has not given an execution petition in court so that from the govt side they can do only lesser things…. why cant we file such a execution petition so that the court order can be executed…

i am attaching the pdf file i got from the site .if thirumeni has come across this early then its ok.

we should not lose this time so close all the loop holes and go forward we all will be their with our support and prayer for our church

thanking you (?)

u01477-031011-857553806760-02-13

My reply:

Dear (?)
Thank you for the mail and the document. Yes I noticed the matter, but I have not had the document with me.
This clearly shows either lack of knowledge of legal system on the part of the chief minister of Kerala, which is a shame for the whole state. Or he is playing a game (which I consider most probable one). Because, there are orders that are to be executed through a process and there are orders which do not need that. This case is one which does not have to be executed through a legal process. This is because the church was already in the custody and governance of the Orthodox Church, and it was the patriarch faction that filed a petition for election according to 1913 udambadi and to hand over the Church to the elected. The court rejected this application and the Church remains to be governed by the Orthodox Church. If the court had ordered otherwise, they would have needed a legal procedure for execution. Poor Keralites whose cm does not know even the basics of legal system of India.

Regards and prayers

Thirumeni

Latest on Kolenchery Church Issue

As anticipated the third round of talk on Kolenchery Church issue mediated by the cabinet sub committee failed.

Commission Report on Women’s Voting Right

 

Thomas I summoned by police

See the latest on T. M. Varghese murder case.

 

A note from ICON

Mr.One of the moderators of ICON wrote:
Most Respected Thirumeni,

Hope Your Grace is doing fine. Given below is a message that was posted in ICON the other day. It was actually written by Mr. …. who writes scholarly articles based on extensive research. Mr. … is one of the Moderators of ICON. As you can see some of the points he raised could be used by our lawyers to invalidate the claims made by the Jacobite fraction. Hope Your Grace will forward this article to the lawyers representing our Church. (I’m cc’ing this to Mr. … ).

Beseeching your blessings, – (… Moderator ICON)

Dear (?)

Thank you for forwarding the note. I have already seen this posting. Unfortunately, those hard core people on the other side do know that what they do is simply nonsense and has no legal validity or ethical standing. But there are other reasons for them to do this. As for the court they also know that they can not go beyond the order of the Supreme court. What the Jacobites are trying is, delaying the implementation of the court orders. In that they are successful. Our legal system can not stop that for various reasons. What ever reasoning we may bring in will work only with our own people who get confused by the propaganda the Jacobites make. Those common people in Jacobite camp are victims of hard core religious fundamentalism. If they protest, their lives will become miserable. So they go along. They also very well know what is happening is not legal or ethical. But for them, they want their basic spiritual needs like baptism, marriage and funeral met. So we are caught up in a fix. Even the public misunderstand us because our PR system is not that strong. Those of our people who sit at various places and think about the issues involved do not quite understand them as the methodology and the philosophy with which the Jacobite leadership work are unknown to them. They are not also physically present to feel the heat and the tempo. So when people like  …. write some thing, I simply smile away.

Love and prayers Thirumeni

Thank you Mr. Azhikodu!

 

I visited Mr. Sukumar Azhikodu, noted Gandhian, writer, social critique, orator and teacher, today to thank him for his timely and just comment on the Kolenchery Church issue. I also congratulated him for receiving the Mar Gregorios Award,  instituted by Mar Gregorios Study Forum which will be given away on 12th October at Orthodox Student Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. Dr. M. P. Mathai (former dean of Gadhian Chair of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam and presently professor, Peace Research Centre, Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedabad) graciously joined me during the visit.

Yesterday’s Mangalam Today’s Manorama

There was a news item on October 4th 2011 in Mangalam daily that Bishop Mor Severius Moses of the Independent Syrian Orthodox Church of Europe has decided to call off all the activities of his Church in India. That news also covered a special note on me saying “the one who shifted from Jacobite Church to Orthodox Church”. Obviously this is out of sheer ignorance of the content and effect of the Hon. Supreme Court verdict, 1995 and 2002. Their ignorance is pardonable. Mangalam had a detailed report. Malayala Manorama gave a brief report on the same news item on the following day (Oct. 5th). But they did not forget to specify that bishop Mor Severius was consecrated by me and H.G. Dr. ThomasMar Athanasius Metropolitan and the same ‘qualification’ is used here too. It seems Manorama gave this news item just to talk about we two bishops. I just wonder if Manorama gives the old news of Mangalam why should they have a 24+ page news paper instead of just giving advertisement page, Niryathar page and editorial? Interestingly this news was broken by MTV days back and so it was no news at all on 5th of Oct.. Of course Manorama never liked me (when they have to publish a picture where I am also in, they would publish it only after removing my face from the picture), but what they have against Dr. Mar Athanasius?

See these paper cuttings:

Court Orders Against Thomas I

Here are some of the vital Court Orders against the Catholicos Thomas I of Jacobite Syrian Christian Association Church, Puthencruz (established in 2002). See the pdf files below (with underlines).

1. Interim Order from Hon. High Court of Kerala against entering in my diocesan headquarters at Mannuthy Thrissur.

Aramana Protection IA Order

2. Final order in the case against Thomas I permanently restraining Thomas I (Thomas Mar Dionlysius at the time of filing the case) and his priests and men from entering in to my residence cum Thrissur Diocese headquarters.

Aramana Protection Final Order

3. District Court Order against Thomas I (Thomas Mar Dionysius when the case was filed) from entering in to the Churches of Kandanadu, Kochi and Ankamali diocese governed by 1934 constitution.

Three Dioceses Restraining Order

4. Order of the Division Bench of the Hon. High Court on the same case when Thomas I appealed on the order of the District Court

Three Dioceses Restraining Order HC

This being the case this person on the one hand continue to violate the orders in many of the Churches in these dioceses and also threatening that he will take over more Churches and institutions including the headquarters of many of the dioceses. What kind of a person he is? No wonder there are about 500 cases against him (according to him). Why the government is not applying “Goonda Order” on him, I wonder!