A local court in Kottayam on Saturday stayed an order of the Patriarch of Antioch suspending the Metropolitan of the Chingavanam-headquartered Malankara Syrian Knanaya Archdiocese.
The Kottayam Munsiff Court II passed the order on a petition filed by the supporters of Mar Severios Kuriakose Metropolitan. The court posted the case for further hearing on May 25.
An official statement by Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II on Friday said the actions of Mar Severios “amounted to challenging the authority of the Holy Throne of Antioch”. It had earlier stripped Mar Severios of his title of ‘Archbishop and Chief Metropolitan of the Knanaya Archdiocese in India’ after he acted contrary to the orders of the Patriarch of Antioch. He continued anti-Church activities resulting in his suspension, the statement noted.
In a show of support to the Metropolitan, the clergy and believers hit the streets on Saturday. They protested the Patriarch’s decision to suspend him.
Knanaya Samudhaya secretary T.O. Abraham said a meeting of the clergy and believers would be held at the church headquarters at Chingavanam on Sunday at 3 p.m. in support of the Metropolitan.
