Kottayam (Kerala), Apr 13 (PTI) A prominent Catholic bishop in Kerala has asserted that the Church would not remain silent in the face of “insults” and that nobody can ask its clergy to be neutral all the time.
Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt made the remarks during his recent address to believers.
Noting that neither bishops nor priests should be seen as mute spectators at all times, he said the Church would not tolerate remarks that cross the limits of decency or seek to denigrate its leadership and clergy in the public sphere.
“Now-a-days, we are hearing that those active in public life are speaking to the media in a manner that insults Church leadership and priests. I don’t think such attacks that violate the boundaries of decency are correct,” the bishop said while addressing the faithful recently.
His remarks come in the backdrop of a controversy triggered by critical comments made by BJP leaders P C George and his son Shone George against certain bishops and the Church-backed Malayalam daily Deepika, over its reported stance favouring the Congress-led UDF ahead of the April 9 Assembly polls.
He also said it was unrealistic to expect bishops and priests to remain neutral at all times, adding that humiliating community leaders and clergy for television attention was unacceptable.
He further said that while expressing opinions, care must be taken to respect the sentiments of believers, warning that failure to do so would be a “grave mistake”.
“Attempts to tarnish the dignity of the Church using the language of television debates cannot be accepted, whoever may be behind it,” he said, while clarifying that he was not referring to any individual in particular.
At the same time, he welcomed the increasing participation of Church members in politics.
Meanwhile, BJP state vice-president K S Radhakrishnan described the ongoing verbal spat as a “personal rift” between certain leaders and sections of the Church.
Defending the statements made by the party leaders, he said they were responding to political remarks made by members of the clergy.
“If Church heads speak politics and urge people to vote for a particular front, it is natural for other parties to criticise them. They cannot expect the protection of priesthood after speaking politics,” he told a television channel.
He also said the BJP had adopted a pro-Christian approach during the Assembly polls, but should give due priority to addressing its Hindu vote base, adding that the party would not compromise on matters related to religious conversions.
Later in the day, Shone George visited Syro-Malabar Church head Mar Raphael Thattil at the Church headquarters in Kochi and clarified that neither he nor his party have accused the Church of “committing any mistake”.
George, who is also a BJP candidate from the Pala constituency in the April 9 Assembly polls, said his criticism was limited to the Church-run daily, Deepika.
Speaking to reporters, he said he had taken exception only to the daily ‘Deepika’ and that it was his duty to make it clear to society that whatever appeared in the daily did not necessarily reflect the official position of the Church.
He also defended his father, P C George, over his critical remarks against certain bishops.
“He is a leader who has stood for the Church beyond his political career. It was natural for him to get provoked if someone within the Church was seen taking a stand against him. That is what happened. Both he and the BJP have made it clear that it was his personal opinion,” Shone George said.
Responding to criticism from the Pala Bishop, he said he appreciated the latter’s statement that there was no need for the clergy to take a stand secretly anymore.
“I have no doubt that it will be favourable for the BJP,” he added.
He further said the Church was not an individual but an institution of which he was also a part, and therefore it was his responsibility to point to any perceived shortcomings within it. PTI LGK ROH
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.