Kochi, November 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II, supreme head of the Syrian Jacobite Church, on Wednesday expressed concern over the suffering of people in West Asia due to extremist ideologies and said he was praying for peace in the region.
The Patriarch has repeatedly voiced concern over the humanitarian crisis, displacement and persecution caused by religious extremism and regional conflicts.
He arrived at Cochin International Airport in Nedumbassery on Wednesday morning from Lebanon for a five-day visit to Kerala. Church leaders and representatives of the state government received him.
The visit is being held in connection with the 150th anniversary of the historic Mulanthuruthy Synod, a landmark event in the history of the Malankara Church.
As part of the celebrations, the Patriarch will lead the consecration of the Holy Myron, or sacred anointing oil, at Puthencruz on November 13. A meeting of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Association will also be held there in the evening, with Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan scheduled to inaugurate it.
During his visit, the Patriarch also appealed to the rival factions of the Malankara Church in Kerala to work towards reconciliation.
“Both sides should make efforts for reconciliation and peace,” he told reporters in Kochi.
The appeal comes amid a decades-long dispute between the Syrian Orthodox and Syrian Jacobite factions over the control of churches and other properties. The dispute has involved prolonged legal and administrative battles, with repeated efforts at dialogue and reconciliation failing to resolve it.
The Patriarch is scheduled to attend several Church programmes during his stay and will leave Kerala for Lebanon on November 16.
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