Kerala Inter-Church Rivalry: Jacobites Force Children To Write “Sathyam” In Blood To Protest Against Orthodox Church

In an intra religious conflict, two faction of Christian faith, the Jacobite and the Orthodox Church in Kerala are locked in a dispute over entry into a church at Kothamangalam in Ernakulam. But the distressing news is that small children were allegedly forced to write “sathyam” (truth) in blood as part of its protest against the Orthodox Church allegedly by the the Jacobite faction, reports The Hindu

The Jacobite faction now faces action by State panel for protection of children’s rights for allegedly forcing children to write “sathyam” (truth) because the Orthodox church is trying to gain control of churches armed with a Supreme Court order.

The apex court nearly two years ago had ordered to allow Orthodox faction to offer prayers at the church but authorities on 28 October were unable to implement the court order, following strong resistance from the Jacobite priests and the faithful.

Under the protection of the police the Orthodox faction recently tried to take possession of the church so their priests can conduct religious services. However the Jacobite faction had organised a protest using students from Sunday school and some were made to write “Sathyam” on white paper allegedly using blood drawn from their fingers.

The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child’s rights took up the case immediately after media started to show reports of children writing on white paper as part of the protest.

“Children have every right to unite themselves and stage protests for safeguarding their rights. However, minors being used as a a tool for protest and using their blood to proclaim their faith is against the law,” Commission Chairman P. Suresh said in a release.

To put it in simpler term this is nothing but a case of property dispute. This conflict is all about which faction, the Jacobite or the Orthodox Church gets control of over 1,000 churches and properties in Kerala.