Kerala-based Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church head calls on PM Modi

New Delhi [India], April 5 : Supreme head of the Indian Orthodox Church, Baselios Marthoma Mathews III on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and extended an invite to him to visit their headquarters at Kottayam.

Union Minister V Muraleedharan escorted the supreme head of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Parliament today to meet the Prime Minister at his office inside Parliament. According to sources, the meeting was part of the outreach of the BJP to the Christian community in Kerala.

The Union Minister also took to Twitter to post about the "productive meeting."

Called on Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji along with Baselios Marthoma Mathews III Supreme head, of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Parliament today.

He had a productive meeting with Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji.@PMOIndia @BJP4Keralam pic.twitter.com/wlDnL8uDKE

— V Muraleedharan / vi murlliidhr[?] (@VMBJP) April 5, 2023

Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, who is visiting the national capital to lead Easter Week celebrations in the Delhi diocese said, "It was my wish to meet the Prime Minister, after I took over as the head of the Church. Now after meeting him, I feel really happy. He inquired about the functioning of the Church and I explained in detail and he was happy to hear about what we were doing."

"I extended an invite to the Prime Minister to visit our headquarters the next time he comes to Kerala and he has agreed to do so," Baselios Marthoma Mathews III said.

He said the Prime Minister was very much aware of the Church and its various educational and charity institutions.

"We have our diocese church in Gujarat and so he knew very well the Church and about the educational and charitable institutions that we are running all over India," Baselios Marthoma Mathews III said.

Ahead of the upcoming 2024 general elections, the BJP has planned a huge outreach programme based on PM Modi's Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas programme. Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, however, said there was a discussion on this during his meeting with the prime minister.

"... We are happy with the development programmes that the government is doing but at the same time we have some isolated problems from different regions, some attacks against the Christian church etc that is a reality..." he said.

The Church head said that there should be deliberation on looking into the issues and resolving issues faced by Christians.

Baselioius Marthoma Mathews III, is the present Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan, the religious titles of the supreme head of the Indian Orthodox church, which is also called as the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. The church belongs to the Oriental Orthodox family.