Church issue: HC moved against Collectors order

KOCHI: A petition has been filed before the Kerala High Court challenging the order of the Ernakulam District Collector permitting the Orthodox believers to perform religious rites on the premises of Piravom St Mary’s Jacobite Syrian Church.Petitioners Simon Chellikattil and Mathai Thommen submitted that the order was highly provocative and amounted to interference in the pending judicial proceedings with the court.“The church has always been under the management of those who recognise the supremacy of the Patriarch of Antioch. Hence the Orthodox faction left the church and established another church in Piravom.“As of today, all religious functions are being performed  by those who are in charge of the administration and management of the church,” the petitioners said.