The five-member permanent synod of the Syro-Malabar Church met here on Monday to discuss, among other things, the agenda for the first of the half-yearly general synod meetings of the church for 2018. The general synod meeting is scheduled to begin at St. Thomas Mount, Kakkanad, on January 8 and end on January 13.
The meeting of the bishops discussed the preparations for the conclusion of the silver jubilee celebrations of the raising of the Syro-Malabar Church to the Major Archiepiscopal status, Church sources said.
The synod met here against the background of what has turned out to be a major land deal and financial scandal involving the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly. Sources did not divulge whether the scandal was discussed by the synod here on Monday.
How it unfolded
According to a preliminary inquiry by the archdiocese, it had lost a substantial amount of money in the sale of land belonging to it. As a consequence, restrictions have been placed on the powers of the archdiocese’s syncellus (pro-vicar general) Sebastian Vadakkumpadan and finance officer Joshi Puduva, both priests.
A circular sent to the community of priests by Auxiliary Bishop Sebastian Edyanthrath last week admitted that the archdiocesan authorities failed to ensure transparency in the land deal. There were also violations of the canon law, admitted the circular.
The land sale was taken up as the archdiocese could not pay interest on a bank loan of ₹60 crore, taken for purchasing a 23.22-acre plot at Mattoor, near Angamaly, for a proposed medical college.
The plots that came under sale included 99.44 cents near Karunalayam and 20.35 cents at Nilpathinjimukal; 70.15 cents opposite Naipunya School; 62.33 cents on the opposite side of Bharat Matha College – all of them near Thrikkakara; and 54.71 cents near Maradu.
Loan liability up
Not only did the archdiocese lose out substantially on the land deal but its total loan liability rose to more than ₹80 crore with an additional loan being taken for purchase of land near Kothamangalam and Devikulam in 2017 without the permission of the archdiocesan authorities, the circular said.
It said the persons entrusted with the task of selling the land had breached the terms of agreement and that the archdiocese had lost more than ₹18 crore in the deal. The matter was taken up by a section of the priests and a preliminary inquiry was ordered. The report of the inquiry was discussed and on its basis restrictions had been placed on two of the archdiocesan functionaries. The final report is expected by the end of this month.
