At least 13 Catholic bishops in Kerala are in the dock for constituting kangaroo courts and collecting taxes from believers
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At least 13 Catholic bishops in Kerala are in the dock for constituting kangaroo courts and collecting taxes from believers, but the Church avers that the practice is part of the canonical system recognised worldwide.
The Left Democratic Front government ordered a police inquiry against the bishops, including cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, after a laymen’s association persisted with its complaints.
The Catholic Laymen’s Association accuses the bishops of setting up a parallel legal system, imposing fines and collecting taxes. The plaint also hints at tax evasion by the Church, which receives money from abroad.
The additional chief secretary (home) asked the DGP to look into allegations. “We have only forwarded the complaint by a Christian religious organisation to the police,” home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said.
The association, based in Kozhikode, wrote to the minister’s office after it found an earlier probe by a deputy superintendent of police unsatisfactory.
“The Catholic Church has been enforcing a foreign country’s legal system on the laity. The bishops empower priests to adjudicate on civil matters. The diocesan court even collects court fee,” the Catholic association’s state general secretary ML George said.
Though George’s earlier complaints had caused police inquiries, the organisation was not satisfied with the outcome.
The Syro-Malabar Church spokesman Fr Paul Thelakkatt said the Church would wholeheartedly welcome the probe as there was nothing to hide. “I don’t see any immediate provocation for such an order. The Catholic Church goes by its age-old rules which had been upheld in courts of law several times,” he said.
“Each diocese has its own court and a judicial vicar to look into matters regarding sacraments like marriage. What come under its purview are matters like the validity of a marriage or reasons for a divorce. Even if the diocesan court grants a divorce, the couple still needs to go to a civil court to make it legally binding,” Thelakkatt added.
“Nobody can be forced to obey canonical laws. The Church doesn’t have police powers,” he said.
s-don@dnaindia.net
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