The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) has said that the Union and the State governments failure to study and to find solutions to the fundamental problems that stem from the development of the Vizhinjam port cannot be justified even as a protest by fishermen over various issues has continued for 130 days.
A statement issued by the council of bishops, the apex body of the Catholic hierarchy in Kerala, described as “unfortunate” the untoward incidents on Sunday during a protest led by the Thiruvananthapuram archdiocese. The bishops protested against the registration of cases against Archbishop Thomas Netto and his auxiliary R. Christudas along with leaders of the protesting group.
The bishops’ council said that “the circumstances that led to the violence during Sunday’s protest should have been avoided. However, it is inappropriate that the political leadership and representatives of the administrative machinery make the situation worse through their statements.” The bishops then appealed to the authorities to make statements that will help resolve the issues.
“An impartial and equitable inquiry should be made into the incidents on Sunday and government must take steps immediately to prevent the situation from growing worse,” the bishops added.
Meanwhile, Kerala Region Latin Catholic Council (KRLCC) appealed to the government not to provoke the people but settle the issues amicably. “Instead of provoking people by charging a police case against the archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram the government must come forward to settle the issues in a peaceful manner,” said KRLCC president Bishop Joseph Kariyil.
