Kottayam: Orthodox church head Baselios Marthoma Mathews III Catholicos on Tuesday said that the attacks happening against Christians and the Christmas celebrations in Kerala and other parts were a matter of concern.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the Catholicos maintained that the Orthodox Church does not adopt a "negative approach" toward any political party or the statements of leaders, including the Prime Minister or the President. He further emphasised that the Church "unequivocally respects" all political parties and their leaders.

"At the same time, the Church maintains an equal distance from all political parties and their leaders. The church is not interested in getting into controversies. The Thrissur Bishop's remarks on the topic are personal,” he added. However, he remarked that such incidents, whether occurring in the north or the south, were unacceptable. He also stated that both the destruction of Christian churches in the country and the damage to the crib are matters of concern.

Yuhanon Mor Meletius, metropolitan of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church's Thrissur diocese, criticised the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over their Christmas celebrations, pointing to the recent disruption of festivities at a school in Palakkad by VHP activists. His sharp remarks were shared on his social media handle a day after PM Modi attended Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) in New Delhi. "Over there, bishops are honoured, and cribs are revered. Here, cribs are destroyed. There must be a saying in Malayalam for such behaviour, right?" the priest wrote in a Facebook post.

The controversy arose following the alleged disruption of Christmas celebrations at a school by local Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists and the destruction of a symbolic crib created by children at another school by unidentified miscreants in Palakkad. The state government has formed a special police team to investigate the incidents.