By Varghese Alengaden

I was sad when told about the orders against Sr. Lucy Kalappurackal by the parish priest and the superiors of her congregation. The member of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation had participated in a protest to show solidarity with five nuns of the Missionaries of Jesus demanding justice. Kalappurackal’s parish priest had to revoke his order under pressure from the public.

Still worse was the official statement of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) that condemned the priests and nuns who had expressed solidarity with the protesting nuns. Even the Orthodox Church censured Yohanan Ramban who too had joined the protest at Kochi.

Instead of censuring them, the Kerala Church should have hailed the prophetic stand these priests and nuns took when the vast majority of their confreres committed the sin of silence.

The bishops who condemn the nuns’ ‘street protest’ for human dignity and justice seem to forget the number of protest rallies they and their predecessors had organized in the past with priests, nuns and laity in the front. How do they explain the protest bishops and priests organized in 1957 against the world’s first democratically elected Communist government in Kerala? How could they encourage the rallyists to shout slogans of revenge and violence? The Church justified those protests in the street as the means to safeguard its educational institutions.

The hierarchy has encouraged the laity and religious to come to the streets to protest whenever the government tried to control the business of the Church run institutions. Those rallies raised revengeful and unchristian slogans. How can the Church leadership and superiors condemn the priests and nuns who came to the streets to safeguard human dignity? Isn’t it hypocrisy?

The bishops’ attitude reminds me of ostrich that hides its head in sand in times of danger only to be killed. The words and acts by the Church leaders without reading the signs of the time are suicide. Instead of taking time to study the issues in the light of Christ’s teachings the leaders seem to be in a hurry to impose their institutional discipline.

It is human to make mistakes. Individuals and institutions managed by humans are bound to fail and fall. People with spiritual orientation would accept their mistakes and rise again to go forward with humility. However, what the Kerala bishops are doing is to control prophets instead of defending the unchristian says some of the Church leaders.

The Church’s 2,000-year-old history is replete with stories of such rise and fall because they were led by humans. The Church was blessed by great prophets and saints in different times to renew it. Whenever the leaders acted with pride and failed to read the signs of the times the Church has suffered. God was gracious to send prophets such as Pope John XXIII, St. Francis of Assisi and now Pope Francis to renew the mission of Christ.

The Church began as a spiritual movement started by Jesus for the integral liberation of humanity. However, it was replaced by the mighty institutional Church with the patronage of the emperors starting with Constantine. It birthed the mighty institutional Church with a powerful hierarchy. It has unlimited and unquestionable power over the people, besides wealth and property accumulated in the name of God.

The Gospel of Christ was misinterpreted and replaced by dogmas and complex doctrines. Critical thinking and freedom of speech were suppressed by the vow of obedience to those in authority. Creativity and personal growth were prevented by the rule of detachment to world in the pretext of attachment to God. Reading and research were censored and limited to superstitious devotions and irrelevant rituals under the control of the cultic priests.

Prophets who questioned the injustice and hypocrisy were excommunicated and even murdered as heretics. Young men and women were recruited as monks and nuns to defend and expand the religious empire. Theology and laws were framed to control the lives of people and strengthen the religious empire. All these things were done in the name of Christ and building up His kingdom.

Prophets and saints came in different times in the history to challenge and correct the corrupt ways but their impact was either short lived or suppressed by the mighty imperial powers. The religious industry thrived and became a multinational company misusing the name of Christ and misinterpreting His teachings.

Faithfully following the way of Christ is the only way the Church can face modern challenges. But unfortunately it embroiled in internal conflicts, financial corruption and scandals of immorality. Following the way of Christ is the only solution to make the Church relevant in the world where it is facing opposition from various forces.

Accept the mistakes, repent and adopt the following suggestions for renewal. Resolving to practice them urgently can renew the Church to fulfill the mission of Christ in letter and spirit.

Bishops, priests and religious superiors should ask every time the basic question: What would Jesus do if He were here? The Gospel and the example of Christ should lead us more than man-made Canon Law and constitution of the congregations. Often the laws in these books are contrary to the way of Christ. Church is not just bishops and priests!

It is time for them to follow the good shepherds. Let the prophetic Church rise to keep up the legacy of Christ, the greatest prophet.