Kochi: Patriarch of Antioch Ignatius Aphrem II, the head of the Syrian Orthodox Church, arrived in Kochi on Saturday for a 10-day visit to Kerala. However, sources suggest that his trip might be shortened, with the patriarch expected to return to Lebanon on Tuesday due to the worsening crisis in Syria. 

The patriarch on Saturday proceeded to the Patriarchal Centre, Puthencruz, and offered prayers at the epitome of Catholicos Baselios Thomas I, they added. He will be in Kerala as a state guest, they said. 

On Monday, the 40th memorial day of the late Catholicos, the patriarch will take part in the mass at St Athanasius Cathedral, Patriarchal Centre, Puthencruz, according to a release issued by the Jacobite church. He will also deliver a memorial speech, it added.

The patriarch was also scheduled to visit the Mor Ignatius Monastery at Manjinikara, Pathanamthitta, where the late Elias III Patriarch is entombed, from December 10 to 16.

(with inputs from PTI)