Kochi, July 19, 2019: Several priests of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly launched a hunger strike demanding the resignation of Cardinal George Alencherry, their archbishop.
Representatives of priests held talks with the cardinal on various issues pertaining to the archdiocese including controversial land deals allegedly involving the prelate. However, the the cardinal’s response did not satisfy the priest who declared an indefinite fast at the Bishop’s House.
Cardinal Alencherry is the head of the Kerala-based Syro-Malabar Church.
A report by The Hindu said that “the demands of the priests relate to police investigations into the ‘forged documents’ case in which it has been alleged that a group of priests forged documents with the help of lay persons to implicate the cardinal in a series of personal financial deals with a private company.” Police have questioned Father Paul Thelakat and Father Antony Kallookkaran of the archdiocese in the case.
The striking priests have demanded the appointment of an administrative bishop to handle matters of the archdiocese. PTI reported that the protesting priests seek an independent investigation into the land deals allegedly involving the cardinal in the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese.
Alencherry secured full powers of head of the archdiocese after the Vatican directed Bishop Jacob Manathodath, who was the archdiocese’s apostolic administrator for a year, to return to his Palghat diocese. The protesting priests have questioned the decision to suspend the archdiocese’s Auxiliary Bishops Sebastian Adayanthrath and Jose Puthenveetil.
In 2018, Cardinal Alencherry was divested of all administrative powers as the head of the Ernakulam archdiocese by the Vatican. The Indian Express has reported that the archdiocese had suffered a loss of 900 million rupees following controversial land dealings executed by the cardinal in 2016.
In March 2018, the police filed a case against the cardinal after a complaint of irregularities in land deals. The FIR was registered nearly a week after the Kerala High Court ordered the police to do so against the cardinal, Fathers Joshy Puthuva and Sebastian Vadakkumpadan, and middleman Saju Varghese on a petition filed by Shine Varghese from Cherthala.
Shine alleged that the accused were involved in criminal conspiracy and cheating in the sale of over three acres of land, worth millions of rupees that belonged to Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese.
A six member church committee appointed by Cardinal Alencherry highlighted numerous instances of violation of cannon and civil laws and demanded action against the accused.
The protesting priests have demanded that the cardinal should not preside over the synod of bishops scheduled for early August. “The cardinal has to be removed as he is facing about 14 cases, mostly related to financial dealings. The cardinal should not chair the coming synod as it’s against the code of law. Pope’s representative should chair the synod,” Father Jose Vailikdath was quoted as saying by News18.