Shekinah, a news and entertainment television channel led by Catholic lay preacher Santhosh Karumathra in Thrissur, is slated to go on air on April 28. He told The Hindu on Tuesday that it would be about two to three months before the full operations of the channel began.
Mr. Karumathra, who has been a preacher for about two decades, did not elaborate on the details or the philosophy behind the launch of the television channel, which is being widely viewed as an attempt by the Syro-Malabar Church to improve its public image in the midst of a major financial scandal with Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry at the centre of it.
Shekinah, said Mr. Karumathra, was a Hebrew word meaning divine presence. The website of the upcoming television channel said that those behind the venture wanted to empower the people through good news. “Driven by solid, uncompromising journalism, we cover a wide range of topics from multiple perspectives and across all walks of life around the world. From news and information to entertainment there will be something good for everyone from Shekinah”, the website said.
Meanwhile, Syro-Malabar Church sources said that the church was not directly involved in the television channel and that it was being launched from Thrissur under the initiative of lay people.
