Priests of the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly on Thursday launched a relay hunger strike against Major Archbishop and Cardinal George Alencherry saying that the Cardinal should not preside over the synod of bishops scheduled for early August.
The priests also said the police action against a number of priests and lay people in the “forged documents” case should end as these cases were foisted on them.
In what has widely been described as unprecedented action in the history of the Catholic Church in Kerala, Father Joseph Parekkattil started a fast unto death to highlight the demands raised by a vast majority of the priests.
‘Cardinal should go’
The priests had openly defied the Cardinal, who is the head of the Syro-Malabar Church. The priests said the Cardinal, against whom there are more than a dozen court cases pending, should step down from his authority. They also demanded that the police end foisting cases on priests and members of the laity in the “forged” documents case.
The demands immediately relate to police investigations into the “forged documents” case in which it has been alleged that a group of priests forged documents with the help of lay persons to implicate the Cardinal in a series of personal financial deals with a private company. A young IT professional Aditya Valavi and his friend Vishnu Roy were arrested in the case. Besides, the police questioned two priests Father Paul Thelakkat and Father Antony Kallookkaran in the case. Around 200 priests met the Cardinal early Thursday morning to discuss the issues they have raised. However, a spokesman for the community of priests claimed that the Cardinal had no answer to their questions and demands. Father Jose Vailikodath, spokesman for the priests, said they did not get a satisfactory answer from the Cardinal.
They demanded that the Permanent Syond of the Syro-Malabar Church immediately hold talks with the priests and that an administrative bishop be appointed to take care of the affairs of the archdiocese.
A senior priest told The Hindu that the Cardinal should not be allowed to chair the synod of bishops. Instead, an appropriate person should be delegated by Rome to preside over the synod, which is expected to take crucial decisions on several issues.
Scribes denied entry
The protesting priests are confined to the Major Archbishops’ House, where media persons have been denied access.
