Pope receives head of Syro Malabar Church

Do not let "sectarian mistrust and even violence" stop the Church's work among people of of all religions, Pope Benedict XVI told the head of the Syro-Malabar Church, Archbishop George Alencherry, on Monday.

"I know that life for Christians has been complicated by sectarian mistrust and even violence, but I would urge you to continue to work with people of good will of all religions, in order to maintain the peace and harmony of the region, for the good of the Church and that of all citizens," the Pope said in his remarks.

On Monday, the Pope received the newly-appointed Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, along with members of the Permanent Synod and a delegation of Syro-Malabar faithful in Rome.

The Pope said the Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala enjoyed the respect of the local community for its work in education and for its social and charitable institutions at the service of the whole community.

Last week, the Major Archbishop and the Permanent Synod met heads of the different departments in Vatican.

Archbishop Alencherry also addressed the representatives of the Syro-Malabar faithful in the conference hall of Collegio San Paolo in Rome on Thursday.

The Syro Malabar Church today counts some four million Catholics around the globe.

The Church will be celebrating 'Year of Faith' from October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013, to reach out to mainly those straying from the Church.

Earlier, in a pastor letter, the Major Archbishop expressed concern over lack of pastoral care for the Church's migrant faithful.

"The pastoral care of the migrant faithful living in many foreign countries is a concern that we have been experiencing for a long time. We could address this issue to some extent. In some places we could appoint our priests as chaplains. Still we need to get many more things done," the letter stated.