Priests’ council to draw up plaint to Pope

On sale of land belonging to Church

The Presbyteral Council, council of priests, of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabar Church, will meet here on Thursday to formally draft a complaint to Pope Francis regarding the sale of land belonging to the archdiocese in which it lost a substantial amount of money.

There was a unanimous decision at the last meeting of the council to submit a complaint to the highest authorities of the Catholic Church on the land deal. The complaint is expected to be drafted and formally read out during the meeting, sources said on Wednesday.

Final report today

The sources also said the final report of a committee appointed by the archdiocesan authority on the land deal would be submitted on Thursday. An interim report was submitted earlier, on the basis of which the powers of two senior officials of the archdiocese were curbed.

In a circular issued to the priests, the archdiocesan authority had admitted to lack of transparency in the land deal as well as violation of the canon law.

Criminal probe sought

Meanwhile, an organisation called the Kerala Catholic Association for Justice demanded that criminal investigation be instituted against the head of the Syro-Malabar Church Cardinal George Alencherry and priests Joshi Puduva and Sebastian Vadakkumpadan, both senior officials of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly.

A complaint has been submitted to the Kochi City Police Commissioner and police officers in the district in connection with the sale of land belonging to the archdiocese, said Polachan Puthuppara, president of the association, here on Wednesday.