Kottayam, Feb. 15, 2019: A section of the Catholic laity under the banner of the Global Christian Council (GCC) is all set to launch a counteroffensive against the alleged ‘vilification campaign’ against the Church.
Launching its campaign against the Save Our Sisters (SOS), which spearheads the public protests against Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar, the GCC will organize a ‘Wall of Love’ in Kottayam, a Christian stronghold, later in February.
Bishop Mulakkal is accused of raping a nun several times during 2014-2016.
“While the allegations against the bishop are already under investigation, the anti-Church forces are using the occasion to pursue their agenda. The GCC is resolved to counter such attempts,” P P Joseph, secretary general of the outfit, told reporters on February 15 in Kottayam.
Accusing the five members of the Missionaries of Jesus, who were part of the public protest against the bishop, of relishing their fame, the laity forum maintained that the nuns had been staying illegally at the St. Francis Mission Home in Kuravilangad, near Kottayam.
Meanwhile, Shaiju Antony and Riju Kanjookkaran, leaders of the SOS, have been served a legal notice by the Synod of the Bishops of Syro-Malabar Church, seeking to invoke civil and criminal action against them for their social media posts.
In reply to the notice, the duo sought to reaffirm their stance and maintained that their intention was to highlight certain unwelcome trends within the Catholic Church.
(Source: thehindu.com, February 15, 2019)