There is a lot of truth to what Dr. D Babu Paul is saying. The opportunity to form full administrative unity and a united Synod does not exist now.
And honestly, most extremits dont want unity. What they want is the control of the old churches that is currently under the control of the Patriarch faction. The faithful can go anywhere; they don't care. They don't want any relationship with the Patriarch either. So it is not a unity what they want; what they want is a surrender.
The extremists in the Jacobite faction dont want unity either. For some it is blind allegiance to the See of Antioch which is based on ignorance. For some it has nothing to do with Antioch, it is just to preserve their position.
The vast majority, want unity.
Now just my personal belief; I am for unity while maintaining the special relationship with the See of Antioch. I don't buy the arguments put forward by many that all Patriarh's of Antiochs are agents of the devil, and their only aim in life is to plunder Malankara. That is the most common narrative that I see from the IOC. They see it as black and white. The Patriarch and the Patriarch faction is 100% evil and the Cathlicose and the Catholicose faction is holy and pure.
Dr. Babu Paul puts forth a very good suggestion; full communion as sister Orthodox Churches. He has used the example of the three Roman Catholic rites in Kerala as that is what most people are familiar with in Kerala. But this is not a foreign concept to Orthodoxy also. In the USA there are several Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions; Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA), Orthodox Church of America (OCA), Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia (ROCOR etc. They all follow the same faith but have seperate synods and administrative setups. They are in full communion. They have a joint council SCOBA http://www.scoba.us/, very similar to the KCBC http://www.kcbcsite.com/ in Kerala.
So in the interim the best we can hope for is to be two seperate jurisdictions in full communion with a Orthodox Bishops Council of India, similar to the SCOBA and KCBC.
Seems to me this "feud" matters most to people living in India, but more so to Kerala. I can't speak for everyone but it feels like here in the US we are at the mercy of Puthencruz and Devalokam and Damascus. Argue, counter-argue all you want. Exocommunicate, ordain, salmoosa this, consecrate that, litigate this, constitution that. It never ends! Personally, I'm getting sick of it. In the US we're at a turning point. If we don't put our focus on sustainability as a whole Malankara and Syrian Orthodox traditions will be but a distant memory.
Has This Guy(Babu Paul) ever tried to do his best to resolve the feud in Malankara? The Church or churches belong to Christ!Partrirch or Catholocose are man made titles! Christ did not send his apostles are Patriarchs or Catholicose or Pope! Antioch Patriarch as an ambassador of Christ should have behaved like a true apostle like Peter or Paul! Babu Paul, a political observer or a administrator never tried to see or look the true discipleship of Christ mentioned and followed in Bible! It was those Antioch patriarch created division/disunity in Malankara for their own material benefits/welfare, a naked truth cannot be neither ignored nor forgotten! OTS Principal Fr.Dr.K.M. George had submitted Antioch Patriarch a draft proposal of Unity of orthodox Divisions in Malankara during his last visit H.H. Zaka 1 in Damascus !so Babu Paul's remark or suggestion has no significance full communion of orthodox factions here in Malankara!
For A Christian the Identity is Jesus Christ!Here in Malankara (India/ Kerala) the Nazaranis(st.thomas christians) cannot be called as Christian, as they lost their Identity and they do not follow Christ! Jesus Christ told his Disciples that there are nobody GREAT among themselves!'BUT NOT SO AMONG YOU; ON THE CONTRARY ,WHO IS GREATEST AMONG YOU(disciples)LET HIM BE AS THE LOWEST, AND HE WHO GOVERNS AS HE WHO SERVES"(LUKE 22:26) Simply follow the verses in scriptures or Imitate Jesus Christ! Do not listen to any follower of this world or the attractions of the world!
It is also important to see through thinking of Mr. Babu Paul.
He once was a great proponent of the Patriarch asking Catholicate to be under the Syrian Patriarch for Unity.
Now he speaks of Unity comparing the Orthodox Christian Church as similar to the Roman Catholic community which broke communion and demanded a Unity from sister churches that broke away in 1058 and should come under the Pope in Rome. (Can we see the similarity on what is being propagated?) This Roman Catholic Church has formed uniate groups in Ukraine and even right in Kerala called the Reeth who are given the concession to use the Orthodox Christian practices so that they are a rite under the Roman catholic group.
Here are few thoughts in conjunction.
1. An eminent person of our Orthodox Church posted long back for peace by dividing the Church: one under the Catholicos and the other under the Patriarch. I think he understood later that this is going to lead only a temporary peace and stop the Orthodox Christians together to seek out Christ as one community that share the same culture and language.
2. To reduce Church to just a group that takes opinions of the majority and acknowledge as right is not what the Church fathers have shown us for the last 2000 years. If that is what we as members of this group area aiming to follow,then we might as well call ourselves no better than a political forum or party
May the discipline and prayers of Parumala Thirumeny, Vattasheril Thirumeny and all the saints before and after them be a stronghold of the Catholicate.
5 comments:
There is a lot of truth to what Dr. D Babu Paul is saying. The opportunity to form full administrative unity and a united Synod does not exist now.
And honestly, most extremits dont want unity. What they want is the control of the old churches that is currently under the control of the Patriarch faction. The faithful can go anywhere; they don't care. They don't want any relationship with the Patriarch either. So it is not a unity what they want; what they want is a surrender.
The extremists in the Jacobite faction dont want unity either. For some it is blind allegiance to the See of Antioch which is based on ignorance. For some it has nothing to do with Antioch, it is just to preserve their position.
The vast majority, want unity.
Now just my personal belief; I am for unity while maintaining the special relationship with the See of Antioch. I don't buy the arguments put forward by many that all Patriarh's of Antiochs are agents of the devil, and their only aim in life is to plunder Malankara. That is the most common narrative that I see from the IOC. They see it as black and white. The Patriarch and the Patriarch faction is 100% evil and the Cathlicose and the Catholicose faction is holy and pure.
Dr. Babu Paul puts forth a very good suggestion; full communion as sister Orthodox Churches. He has used the example of the three Roman Catholic rites in Kerala as that is what most people are familiar with in Kerala. But this is not a foreign concept to Orthodoxy also. In the USA there are several Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions; Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA), Orthodox Church of America (OCA), Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia (ROCOR etc. They all follow the same faith but have seperate synods and administrative setups. They are in full communion. They have a joint council SCOBA http://www.scoba.us/, very similar to the KCBC http://www.kcbcsite.com/ in Kerala.
So in the interim the best we can hope for is to be two seperate jurisdictions in full communion with a Orthodox Bishops Council of India, similar to the SCOBA and KCBC.
Seems to me this "feud" matters most to people living in India, but more so to Kerala. I can't speak for everyone but it feels like here in the US we are at the mercy of Puthencruz and Devalokam and Damascus. Argue, counter-argue all you want. Exocommunicate, ordain, salmoosa this, consecrate that, litigate this, constitution that. It never ends! Personally, I'm getting sick of it. In the US we're at a turning point. If we don't put our focus on sustainability as a whole Malankara and Syrian Orthodox traditions will be but a distant memory.
Has This Guy(Babu Paul) ever tried to do his best to resolve the feud in Malankara? The Church or churches belong to Christ!Partrirch or Catholocose are man made titles! Christ did not send his apostles are Patriarchs or Catholicose or Pope!
Antioch Patriarch as an ambassador of Christ should have behaved like a true apostle like Peter or Paul!
Babu Paul, a political observer or a administrator never tried to see or look the true discipleship of Christ mentioned and followed in Bible!
It was those Antioch patriarch created division/disunity in Malankara for their own material benefits/welfare, a naked truth cannot be neither ignored nor forgotten!
OTS Principal Fr.Dr.K.M. George had submitted Antioch Patriarch a draft proposal of Unity of orthodox Divisions in Malankara during his last visit H.H. Zaka 1 in Damascus !so Babu Paul's remark or suggestion has no significance full communion of orthodox factions here in Malankara!
For A Christian the Identity is Jesus Christ!Here in Malankara (India/ Kerala) the Nazaranis(st.thomas christians) cannot be called as Christian, as they lost their Identity and they do not follow Christ!
Jesus Christ told his Disciples that there are nobody GREAT among themselves!'BUT NOT SO AMONG YOU; ON THE CONTRARY ,WHO IS GREATEST AMONG YOU(disciples)LET HIM BE AS THE LOWEST, AND HE WHO GOVERNS AS HE WHO SERVES"(LUKE 22:26)
Simply follow the verses in scriptures or Imitate Jesus Christ!
Do not listen to any follower of this world or the attractions of the world!
It is also important to see through thinking of Mr. Babu Paul.
He once was a great proponent of the Patriarch asking Catholicate to be under the Syrian Patriarch for Unity.
Now he speaks of Unity comparing the Orthodox Christian Church as similar to the Roman Catholic community which broke communion and demanded a Unity from sister
churches that broke away in 1058 and should come under the Pope in Rome. (Can we see the similarity on what is being propagated?) This Roman Catholic Church has
formed uniate groups in Ukraine and even right in Kerala called the Reeth who are given the concession to use the Orthodox Christian practices so that they
are a rite under the Roman catholic group.
Here are few thoughts in conjunction.
1. An eminent person of our Orthodox Church posted long back for peace by dividing the Church: one under the Catholicos and the other under the Patriarch.
I think he understood later that this is going to lead only a temporary peace and stop the Orthodox Christians together to seek out Christ as one community
that share the same culture and language.
2. To reduce Church to just a group that takes opinions of the majority and acknowledge as right is not what the Church fathers have shown us for the last
2000 years. If that is what we as members of this group area aiming to follow,then we might as well call ourselves no better than a political forum or party
May the discipline and prayers of Parumala Thirumeny, Vattasheril Thirumeny and all the saints before and after them be a stronghold of the Catholicate.
-George Varghese, Calgary, Canada
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