The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could have waited for many years to strike a proper chord with the influential Catholic Church in Kerala. The preliminary pleasure over this putative relationship, which touched a crescendo lately with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairing a gathering with high bishops, nevertheless, seems to be on an inexorable decline.
This sudden slide in relationship has been triggered by the stories of raging assaults towards Christians in Manipur and different States, which has caught the Catholic Church right here in a bind. The violence seems to have fanned the flames of a seething anger over the purported beneficial stance adopted by a bit of its clergy in direction of the nationwide celebration.
Second ideas
“People are having second thoughts as evident from an unending series of questions posed by our counterparts in the North and North East,” famous a senior functionary of the Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala.
In an express signal of this moderating relationship, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council and Cardinal George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, have brazenly expressed considerations over the assault towards Christian spiritual institutions in Manipur and known as for steps to revive peace in the State.
Sathyadeepam, a publication of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church, nevertheless, has taken it a step additional by accusing the BJP led authorities of Manipur of aiding a genocide of Christians in that State.
“The Church leadership is still reluctant to speak out that the Manipur conflict has worsened to the point of genocide under a plan executed by the Sangh Parivar with the support of the BJP government. It is yet to be known if the Church leadership still has the position that Christians are safe all over the country. Those who claimed that the talks held by the Church heads with the Prime Minister in Kochi were successful are bound to answer this,” learn its newest editorial.
Outside Kerala
The Catholic clergy exterior Kerala too seems to carry the same view as they accuse Hindutva components of harassing Christians with fabricated circumstances alongside unleashing bodily assaults.
“The issue at hand varies from the increasing attacks on Christians under the Modi government to the logic in enacting anti-conversion laws despite the Christian population facing a stagnation,” famous Fr. Suresh Mathew, a Catholic priest and chief editor, Indian Currents
Sensing that it’d lose some vital floor among the many Catholics in Kerala, the BJP management has launched into yet one more spherical of peace mission with the Catholic clergy.
As a part of the technique, BJP’s Kerala Prabhari Prakash Javadekar held a gathering with Bishop Mar Jose Pulickal of the Kanjirappally diocese right here the opposite day.
Though either side denied having mentioned political points, the assembly assumed significance, particularly because the Bishop had earlier served in Imphal, the capital of Manipur.
