KOCHI: With only a few days remaining for the Syro-Malabar Church Synod, a group of dissident priests of Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese has sent a letter to all participating bishops and the Vatican, citing the ‘misdeeds’ of Cardinal George Alencherry which led to major financial loss in the Archdiocese. Earlier, in a pastoral letter released in July, Alenchery had dismissed allegations against him as ‘baseless’.
Fr Sebastian Thalian, convener, Steering Committee for the Protection of the Archdiocese, released the letter on behalf of the dissident priests. In the letter accessed by Express, Fr Sebastian mentioned the land scam in Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese in detail revealing the Cardinal’s faults.
“The Synod, which is to be held on August 18, is a very crucial one for the Church. We have sent the letter not only to bishops but also to the Congregation for Oriental Churches in the Vatican. We have only cited the real happenings in the Church and the losses the Archdiocese incurred,” said Fr Kuriakose Mundadan, secretary of the Presbyterial Council.
The priests have requested the Synod to reinstate suspended auxiliary Bishops Sebastian Adayanthrath and Jose Puthenveettil, appoint an administrative archbishop for the Archdiocese, publish the contents of reports submitted to the Congregation for Oriental Churches and take measures to restitute the loss incurred by the Archdiocese.
“I only considered the general good of the Archdiocese in the land deals and I have not taken any actions that led to financial loss,” said the Cardinal in the circular issued last month. However, it was not read in most churches.
Meanwhile, Indian Catholic Forum vice-president Binu Chacko slammed the move, saying sending a letter to Synod bishops cam only be called childish.