Church leaders call off fast

The 10-day-long fast of Orthodox Church Metropolitans Thomas Mar Athanasius, Abraham Mar Sevarios and Mathews Mar Sevarios was called off at Kolencherry yesterday, a temporary truce in the ongoing feud between the supporters of the Orthodox and Patriarch factions of the Malankara Church in Kerala.

The breakthrough is partly credited to the cabinet sub-committee set up by the state government, which had many rounds of discussions with the two factions in the Church.

It is learnt that the negotiators reached an amicable settlement in the case of five disputed churches, while the larger issue of implementing the Supreme Court order that favours the Orthodox faction remains unresolved.

The fast came to an end yesterday in the presence of Baselius Marthoma Mathews II, who conducted a Holy Mass at the Kolencherry St Peter's and St Paul's Church yesterday morning.

The church itself had been closed for a while following friction between the two factions. The ending of the fast brings relief to the state government, too, which was under pressure following the law and order problems created by the factional feud in the Malankara Church.

Chief Minister A.K. Antony had called on both factions to end the strife, particularly in view of the Christmas season.

The faction feud touched a raw nerve earlier this month when a Church trustee of the Orthodox Church, T.M. Varghese, was murdered near Perumbavoor. The Orthodox faction alleged that it was the handiwork of the Patriarch faction, which the latter denied.