Kerala: HC body may mediate in church row

KOCHI: Even while confusion prevails over the stands adopted by Orthodox and Jacobite churches, Kerala Mediation Council of  the High Court has decided to  consider the request by the District Collector for  mediation  between the two churches over the dispute on the ownership of St Peter’s and Paul’s church at Kolenchery.Considering the urgency of the matter, the board of governors of the KMC also decided to depute advocate N Dharmadan and Sreelal Warriar- the accredited mediators by Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee, Supreme Court- as the mediators and observers.It was after the failure of several rounds of talks by District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth that he decided to seek the mediation of the KMC. In the talks  on Monday, both sides stuck to their stands. While the representatives of Orthodox Church demanded that the authorities should execute the court verdict which allows them the ownership of the Kolenchery church, the Jacobites demanded that status quo be maintained until a final solution is evolved.The Collector convened a meeting of both parties on Tuesday. “I briefed them about the decision to go for the mediation of KMC under the chairmanship of Justice Thottathil B Radhakrishnan. On behalf of KMC, I requested them to retreat from the path of agitation,’’ the  Collector said.The representatives of Jacobite faction said they are ready to accept any mediation. ‘’We have already accepted the mediation by the court earlier. And we are ready to accept the mediation of KMC as well. But status quo should be maintained till then,’’ said Thampu George Thukilan, secretary, Jacobite Syrian Church. ‘’We will go ahead with the prayer by our Catholicos until a final decision is arrived at,’’ he said.The leaders of Orthodox Church made it clear that any mediation can be accepted only after executing the court order. ‘’We are ready to accept the mediation. But the court has already stated that ownership of Kolenchery church rests with us. So they should open the church for us before going for any mediation,’’ said P C Alias, public relations officer, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. "Catholicos Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II will continue the fast till then,’’ he said.It will be difficult for the authorities to satisfy the condition laid down by both the factions as a pre-requisite for mediation.