Christian bodies seek removal of Archbishop

The Joint Christian Council and the Kerala Catholic Federation have demanded the removal of Thrissur Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath from office for the alleged extravagance for ‘Buon Natale’, a procession, and other charges levelled against him.

In a memorandum sent to Pope Francis, council general secretary Anto Kokkat and federation representative Antony Chittattukkara said that the procession for which crores of rupees had been spent was against Christian ideals of austerity and monasticism.

Alleging that the Archdiocese ignored the laws and customs of the land, the signatories argued that the event was mounted for political mileage.

The event caused traffic jams and difficulties for members of other communities, they said.

The signatories cited an order of the Kerala High Court against causing traffic blocks.

They alleged that the Archbishop compelled believers to mount the procession. The signatories termed the procession a show of ‘religious fanaticism,’ which would ‘isolate Christians in democratic India.’

The memorandum drew attention to a letter written by the Archbishop to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on August 3 to promote the All-Kerala Catholic Congress. The signatories alleged that the Archbishop had indulged in unconstitutional deeds mixing religion and politics.