Activities of a Freemason hall near the Thumboli St. Thomas Church had to be carried out under police protection despite a High Court order here on Sunday after local public and parishioners objected to the hall in their locality.
Mild tension prevailed in the area in the morning, with parishioners alleging that Satanic worship was being conducted inside the Neroth Mathew and Joseph Masonic Hall, situated a few metres away from the historical Thumboli church.
The tension between the Freemasons who own the hall and the parishioners has been on since the theft of sacraments from the St. Francis Assisi Church at Vellapally late last year. Though the Freemasons denied any connection with the incident, people alleged that black mass was being conducted in Masonic halls here and the police too, following complaints, had conducted inspections in various areas where black mass was suspected to have been conducted.
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The tension led to the Freemasons moving the High Court, following which they recently got an order from the court, permitting them to continue their activities in the Masonic hall at Thumboly. The members arrived along with the police on Sunday and even as they were engaged in their activities in the hall, a large crowd gathered outside. The police had to toil for nearly an hour to convince the crowd that there was a court order that had to be adhered to, following which the crowd dispersed.
The parishioners, meanwhile, said they had noticed a spurt in suspicious activities, allegedly black mass, in the region and that the Church too had cautioned them to be alert, which was why they were opposing the Masonic hall where no one else was allowed. Pastoral letters too were read out recently in the church, warning the parishioners against an increase in incidents of black mass in the region.