Kochi bishop loses administrative powers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bishop John Thatunkal, suspended by the Vatican on Thursday for his decision to adopt a 39-year-old woman as his daughter, was on Friday divested of all administrative responsibilities of the diocese.

Although he can conduct mass, his administrative powers have been taken over. Pope Benedict XVI had on Thursday issued a decree suspending the bishop, following his decision to adopt the woman.

This is the first time in the 2000-year-old history of the Catholic Church in Kerala that a bishop has been suspended. Verapoly archbishop Daniel Acharuparambil, who has been appointed the apostolic administrator by the Vatican, assumed charge of the Kochi diocese on Friday. “This will continue until a new arrangement is made,” he said.
Earlier, archbishop Acha-ruparambil had conducted an inquiry and sent reports to Pope Benedict XVI and archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana, papal nuncio in India.

Thattunkal (58) came under fire from the clergy and the laity after he told the priests from his diocese that he had adopted the woman, from a non-Catholic family in Pathanamthitta district, as a measure of spiritual renewal. He is reported to have used the woman’s blood for blessing. He adopted the woman, whom he met on a pilgrimage to Europe last April, in September. He maintained it was a ‘spiritual’ adoption and he had registered it to give it legal validity.
s_don@dnaindia.net