A Church near the ‘Parumala Church’ bearing the same name?

Is that with good intention that a few from the Jacobite faction intend to build a church at about only 200 meters from the Parumala Palli, where people from all the denominations, including the Jacobite brethren and people of different faiths and traditions consider as a pilgrim place and count as a place of solace?

Explanation of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church on this Controversy

1. Because that there is not even a single Jacobite family live in Parumala, it is evident that the intention to have an alternate Church is not worship.

2. The url of the website launched by the Jacobite faction for the financial campaign of the new intended Church is www.parumalapally.org. When there is only one known Church as Parumala Pally for the whole world, is that justifiable to mislead the faithful in this manner to do a financial campaign?

3. It is only legitimate to be doubtful about the intention of this dissident group that they just want to derogate the streamline functioning of the following endeavours which are inevitably part of the Parumala Pally:

a)      St. Gregorios Mission Hospital

b)      St. Gregorios School of Nursing

c)      St. Gregorios College of Nursing

d)      St. Gregorios College of Social Science

e)      St. Gregorios International Cancer Care Institute

f)        St. Gregorios Cardio-Vascular Centre

g)      St. Gregorios Geriatric Centre

h)      St. Gregorios Retreat Home

i)        St. Gregorios Auditorium

j)        St. Gregorios De-Addiction Centre

4. On normal weekdays and over the weekends there are tens of thousands of people who are coming to the shrine of Parumala for the blessings. During the Perunal season there would be about 5 Million pilgrims visit here. If a Church is built in Parumala with the same name it will only spoil the present tranquil atmosphere to make it a place of insurgence.

5. Would anybody consider an uprising of erecting an alternative Sabarimala or Guruvayoor, or Mannam Samadhi, or Palayam Juma Masjid,  near to these respective places as justifiable ? Is it not in the same coin that one should consider the rebellious duplicate attempt?

6. In the name of St. Gregorios of Parumala, who has been passed onto the eternal abode 107 years ago and was canonized 67 years ago, there are hundreds of Churches, Schools and Charity Homes, around the world. The society has accepted the services rendered by them. These institutions are good catalysts for the religious harmony hence we would earnestly request the dissidents to refrain from these kind of unruly attempts which may threaten the peaceful coexistence.

7. The same dissident group had made several illicit ways to forcefully impinge the Thrikkunnath Seminary, Aluva, which is completely under the ownership of the Malankara Orthodox Church. This was resulted in a huge security obligation for the State Government. And now they are attempting the same experiment in Parumala as well.

8. It is not in the policy of the Orthodox Church to make any offence to anybody’s freedom of worship but we are raising objections to the disruptive measures of the dissenters who raise unlawful claims and ownerships.

Devalokam                                                                   Public Relations Department

01/10/2010                                                                  Malankara Orthodox Church