Cochin, India - September 21, 2004 |
Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas addressing
at the Silver Jubilee inaugural function
We
are extremely delighted to be here this evening with you all. It is always a
great joy to visit India, the great nation of sages and saints, this beautiful
state Kerala, "Gods own country", and particularly our church here in India.
We remember with much gratitude, the warm reception we received from the general
public, the previous times we visited India. We still cherish the fond memories
of those visits. We wish to once again thank the honourable governments, both at
the centre and here in Kerala for their kind hospitality. We are happy that the
same spirit has been shown to us even this time.
When we see this great crowd here, we marvel at the love that you show to the
Holy throne of Antioch. We can only talk about our church in India with mixed
feelings. On the one hand, we are extremely happy to see the progress our church
has made under the efficient leadership of our spiritual brother in Christ His
Beatitude Baselios Thomas 1st, the Catholicos and Metropolitan Trustee. His
Beatitude is a born leader. God has bestowed many good qualities upon him. In
times of crises he will never waiver. His loyalty to the Holy throne of Antioch
is unflinching. He will never compromise aspects of true faith and traditions.
He will always walk ahead and with his people. In His Beatitude you have a great
leader whom you can always trust and look upon. He will stay like a rock when it
comes to matters of faith. We remember with gratitude the great sacrifices of
Late Lamented His Beatitude Mor Baselios Paulose IInd along with the late
Lamented Mor Gregorios Geevarghese made for this church. We want to appreciate
the leadership of His Beatitude Baselios Thomas Ist at this time and thank him
for the same. May God grand him good health and long life. We also would like to
acknowledge the services of all our Archbishops who stood with His Beatitude and
the faithful, especially during the time of crisis. We urge all of you to
continue to extend your prayerful support to His Beatitude Baselios Thomas Ist
and to the Holy Episcopal Synod.
Christianity in India is as old as the beginning of the Christian Church. India
had the great fortune of having received the gospel of Christ in the first
century itself through Apostle St. Thomas. The relationship with the Syrian
Orthodox Church in India and the Patriarchate of Antioch started in the first
Christian century, was confirmed in the council of Nicea in AD 325. We are glad
to note that this ancient tradition is still kept alive. While we rejoice in
this, as the spiritual head of the church, we are equally saddened that a group
has gone astride from the mother church. Unfortunately, this rift has lead to
many court cases in India, which has become a disgrace to the entire Christian
community in India. As the Supreme head of the church, we have always stood for
making peace in the church. In fact, the 1995 verdict of the Honourable Supreme
Court of India provided us with an excellent opportunity for peace and unity in
the both fractions here. However, we missed the opportunity because the other
faction was not willing to accept the challenge. We tried our level best to make
an amicable settlement on the basis of the honourable Supreme Court Judgment and
waited seven years for unity and peace in the church. That was not to be. It was
in this context and on the request of our faithful here that we decided to
consecrate His Beatitude Baselios Thomas Ist as the Catholicos of our church
here. Today when I see this crowd, I am more than convinced that we made a
correct decision and a correct choice. May our church continue to prosper under
the spiritual leadership of His Beatitude Baselios Thomas Ist and our Holy
Episcopal Synod in India.
At this time, we also would like to appreciate the Government of Kerala of its
positive role and approach in our church affairs. The state government knew that
our cause was just. We wish to record our gratitude and thanks for the
Honourable Government for their care. Our particular thanks to the former Chief
Ministers Mr. K. Karunakaran, late Mr. E.K. Nayanar, Mr. A.K. Antony and his
council of ministers and his successor Mr. Oommen Chandy for their constant
support and cooperation. Our sister churches and their leaders also expressed
their concerns and extended their help in hands for reconciliation through
mediation. Also the contributions of the cultural leaders of Kerala are worthy
to be mentioned.
Once again we are so glad we could come to India, which is the largest democracy
in the world. You have yet again proved through the recent elections that the
roots of democracy here are, indeed, strong. Everyone can be proud of these
traditions of democracy and secularism in India. We remember with great respect
Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Nation. This land is the cradle of the rich
and ancient culture and civilization. Kerala has been home to people of all
faiths and nationalities. When religious fundamentalism and conflicts are
destroying nations, Kerala has stood as a model for all nations to learn from.
Here, people of all religion live in harmony. We have experienced this during
all our visits to India. Minority religions such as Christianity have received
royal patronage from the Hindu rulers in the past. Our own church, the Syrian
Orthodox Church, has been a beneficiary of this generous attitude of Hindu
brothers and sisters. Our Syrian community, in turn has accommodated many
aspects of Hindu culture in their social and religious life. We are happy to
note that our church has been able to maintain a cordial relationship with all
religions here. It is our responsibility to be faithful to our own religious
traditions and to be open to others and to respect the faith of the brothers and
sisters of other religious traditions. We urge to continue this spirit of
cooperation and to take a stronger role in nation building. The church is the
extension of God's incarnation in Jesus Christ. Our mission in India is to share
the immense joy of Gospel, not forceful conversion. Gospel is to be shared not
to be imposed and our challenge is to witness the love of God through our lives.
It is our calling to be the voice of the voiceless, the poor and marginalized.
We should never entertain a minority complex; rather we should continue to be
part and parcel of the national life in India.
We take this opportunity to thank you all for the preparation of the Patriarchal
Silver Jubilee celebrations of enthronement to the Holy Throne of St. Peter and
for the good words. Let me thank Oommen Chandy, the Chief Minister of Kerala and
his cabinet ministers for making my visit possible and all the facilities
provided as a state guest and for his personal presence here. I thank Cardinal
Varkey Vithayathil and all the leaders of the sister churches who were here and
the social, cultural and political dignitaries present here.
We expect that you all pray for us to continue our efforts to glorify our Lord
Jesus Christ through the years to come.
We wish you all the best and thank you. May God Bless you.