Syro-Malabar church to take action against priests, nuns

The Kerala-based Syro-Malabar Church has taken a serious view of increasing incidents of 'violations' of discipline and protests by the priests and nuns over various issues and directed its bishops to take action against those indulging in such acts, a church official said here Friday.

The Synod of the Church of Malabar Syrian Catholics, which concluded here Friday, observed the recent protests and strikes in which some priests and nuns had participated crossed all limits of discipline.

It directed its bishops and heads of congregations to initiate action against its clergy who violates the church laws, the official said.

According to a circular issued to all diocese and congregations by the Church head Cardinal George Alencherry, the priests and nuns who violate the discipline should be issued show-cause notices first, and disciplinary action initiated against them as per the Canon law if the explanation given by them was not satisfactory.

The church also said the tendency to counter the disciplinary action with the support of media and groups working against the church cannot be accepted.

The priests and nuns have also been directed to take prior permission from their superiors before participating in TV channel discussions andgiving interviews to media.

A group of priests of the Syro-Malabar church had hit the streets here in March last year, urging the Cardinal to keep off all responsibilities of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese following allegations of irregularities in a land deal involving him.

Recently, Sister Lucy Kalapura, a nun under Syro-Malabar church, had been issued notice by her congregation at nearby Aluva for leading a life "against the principles of religious life" after she published poems, bought a car and took part in a protest against former bishop of Jalandhar and rape-accused Franco Mulakkal.

The Synod's direction comes at a time when four of the five nuns who led the agitation against Mulakkal have decided not to obey their superiors order to leave their convent in Kottayam district in compliance with a transfer order issued last year.

Mulakkal, a senior member of the Roman Catholic clergy in the country, was arrested in September last following allegations by the nun that he repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted her in the convent at Kuravialangad between 2014 and 2016, a charge denied by him.