Jacobite Church slams alleged irregularities in delegate list by Orthodox faction
The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church has formally protested alleged irregularities in the delegate list prepared by the Orthodox faction. They claim the list unfairly appoints priests to parishes where they lack connection and seeks to centralize power, violating historical church norms.
Why it matters
This reflects an ongoing, long-standing internal religious dispute that has significant legal and social implications for the community in Kerala.
The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church has condemned the alleged irregularities in the list of members and delegates readied by the Orthodox faction. In a press release issued on Thursday (August 27, 2026), the Jacobite Church alleged that “the situation is such that priests who have little connection” with the parishes concerned have been appointed in churches where members of the Jacobite faction are in vast majority.
Kuriakose Mor Theophilos, chairman, media cell of the Jacobite Church, said there were also “instances in the list of the same priest being appointed as vicar in multiple parishes.” In this situation, steps must be taken “in an impartial manner to verify such irregularities” in the relevant documents which have been used to "mislead" courts and the other authorities concerned. A similar attempt was made in 2002 at Parumala, he alleged.
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