Catholicos calls for modest church festivities

Holding that saints are not pleased by fireworks but by the purity of a believer’s heart, Baselios Marthoma Mathews III Catholicos on Thursday urged that celebrations in church parishes be kept simple.

In a statement, the Catholicos also appealed to the faithful to set an example by using funds earmarked for annual feasts to build houses for the needy. “After every disaster, precautions are taken to ensure such incidents are not repeated. However, the Mundathikode tragedy shows that their effectiveness often lasts only until the next mishap,” he observed.