Bangalore archbishop in land row

The Akhila Karnataka Catholic Christian Association has accused Bangalore Archbishop Bernard Moras of misusing church property. The association, on Thursday, held a protest, demanding that the government hand over the case investigation to the CBI. It also submitted a memorandum to chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda in this regard.

Association general secretary Raphael Raj alleged that the archbishop leased 1 acre of land that belonged to the St. Pius Church in Kammanahalli. The 2.8-acre church property was donated by an Andhra Pradesh-based donor, Joseph Reddy, for the construction of a church, school and hospital for the poor.

However, the archbishop leased the land to a realtor for 40 years. The realtor now plans to construct a mall and has even carried out a survey of the premises. The association and residents of the area have opposed the move and approached the court and managed to get a stay order. The land is meant for religious activities and being the head of the community, the archbishop tried to commercialise the area, said Raj.

Meanwhile, archdiocese spokesperson Rev Fr AS Anthonyswamy said land has not been sold, but leased to generate financial resources. He said the archbishop authorised the lease agreement as per the church norms and directives. The archbishop discussed the matter with the members concerned, before signing the deal, added Anthonyswamy.

Since the residents of Kammanahalli have approached the civil court and the matter is sub judice, the archdiocese would not like to make any further comments, he said.