Priests and members of the Malankara Orthodox and Jacobite Syrian factions clashed at St John’s Bethlehem Church in Piramadom near Muvattupuzha in Kerala on Sunday, 9 August 2026, following a dispute over the ownership and control of the church, prompting police intervention, as reported in ThePrint.
According to police, the church has been at the centre of a long-standing dispute between the two factions over its ownership. The church is currently under the control of the Jacobite faction.
The incident reportedly occurred in the morning while Holy Mass led by a Jacobite priest was under way. A group of priests and members of the Orthodox faction arrived at the church, reportedly citing a Muvattupuzha Sub Court judgment which they claimed had ruled in their favour in the ownership dispute.
The Jacobite priest and believers present at the church resisted their entry and maintained that a Munsiff Court order had reportedly favoured their faction. The disagreement soon escalated into a verbal confrontation, followed by pushing and shoving between priests and members of the two factions.
Visuals purportedly showing priests from both sides pushing and shoving near the altar, with members of the rival factions also becoming involved, were widely circulated on social media.
Police personnel reached the church after being alerted about the confrontation and attempted to disperse the groups and bring the situation under control. However, as neither faction was reportedly willing to back down, the police decided to temporarily close and lock the church as a preventive measure to prevent further escalation.
Both factions subsequently claimed that some of their priests had sustained injuries during the melee. Police said cases would be registered after receiving complaints from the respective sides.
The situation later came under the intervention of the district administration, which has called representatives of both factions for discussions. The meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday evening, 10 August 2026, as reported in The Hindu, as authorities seek to de-escalate the dispute and address the immediate issue concerning the church.
🚨 Clashes Erupt at Malankara Church in Kerala
Tensions escalated into violence at St. John’s Bethlehem Jacobite Church in Piramadam, Ernakulam, as supporters of the Orthodox and Jacobite factions clashed.
Several people were reportedly injured, prompting police deployment to… pic.twitter.com/byPfviXl2A
— JIX5A (@JIX5A) August 9, 2026
The confrontation is the latest development in the prolonged dispute between the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, with the two factions having been engaged in legal and administrative battles over the possession and administration of several churches and properties for years.
Several court orders have been issued over the ownership and control of disputed churches belonging to the Malankara Church, with rival factions at times interpreting and asserting different judicial orders in support of their respective claims.
In February 2025, a dispute over the implementation of the unified Holy Mass in the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly escalated into violence at St. Sebastian’s Church, Prasadagiri, Varikkankunnu
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