Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II, head of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, arrived here on Thursday evening to a rousing reception at the Sree Kandappa Memorial Stadium, where he landed in a helicopter from Bengaluru.
Hundreds of faithful thronged the stadium as he was formally welcomed by Mor Stephanos Geevarghese, Metropolitan of the Malabar Diocese, Wayanad district panchayat president Samshad Marakkar, and priests.
Addressing the public at the Metropolitan palace here after attending a prayer, the Patriarch said though he had visited the State twice, he had not been able to visit Malabar. Most of the time, his journey had been restricted to the Puthencruz and Ernakulam areas as the roads in Malabar were not good, said the Patriarch. He added that he would bring the issue to the attention of the Chief Minister.
His itinerary in the district includes a Holy Mass and morning prayer at St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Cathedral, Meenangadi, at 8.30 a.m. on Friday. He will leave for Kozhikode at 1 p.m.
