Changing its stance on the Manipur violence, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church on Wednesday said the violence in the northeast state is not a religious issue but a tribal conflict.

Speaking to a Malayalam news channel, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church head Basalios Marthoma Mathews III said the Manipur violence is not a religious conflict, it is tribal conflict – a conflict between two tribal groups in the state.

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Earlier, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church had slammed the Union government over the Manipur violence. Basalios Marthoma Mathews III himself has come out against the Central government over the violence against the Christians in Manipur.

The Church now maintains that a clash between tribes led to attacks on churches in Christian-dominated areas. Baselios Marthoma Mathews III said it is natural for one tribe to destroy everything of another tribe and may have destroyed the shrines of other tribes. He also said that the Christian community now understands they need not be overly concerned about the situation.

The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church’s change of stance on the Manipur issue comes days after the BJP-led government returned to power.

The church head also expressed happiness over the return of the Modi government to power at the Centre. He said the appointment of two individuals from Kerala as Union Ministers is a matter of pride for the entire people of the state.