Syro-Malabar Church special tribunal recommends expulsion of priest from cathedral premises

The special tribunal set up by the Syro-Malabar Church to address disciplinary issues related to liturgical matters in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese has asked Father Varghese Manavalan, former administrator of the St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica, Ernakulam, to leave the premises on charge that he had allegedly occupied the office despite being removed from the post.

The tribunal has asked Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany, vicar of Major Archbishop Mar Raphael Thattil, to seek police help to evict Father Manavalan, if he refused to vacate the premises. The tribunal was established in December last on the instructions of Archbishop Thattil, and it was accorded powers to punish those charged with ‘ecclesiastical offences’.

The tribunal said in an interim order dated June 2, 2025 that Father Manavalan should hand over the office documents to Father Tharian Njaliath, the new administrator. The order issued by the tribunal claimed that there was no interim order yet to maintain status quo on the civil case filed by Father Manavalan before the Munsiff Court, Ernakulam.

Published - June 04, 2025 07:40 pm IST