Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 26, 2020: The Latin Catholic Church in Kerala on January 26, India’s Republic Day, read out a pastoral letter in all its churches in the state as part of its opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
“CAA is not just an issue for Muslims but for all, which will destroy the secular credentials of our country. If we follow the statements of the leaders who rule the country and of those who follow these leaders, it’s very clear that we will lose our secular credentials,” said the pastoral letter from Archbishop Maria Calist Soosa Pakiam of Trivandrum, which was read in all churches after the Sunday Mass.
The letter pointed out that the CAA was not just an issue for Muslims, but for all, and that it will destroy the secular character of India.
“To protect our Constitution and to uphold the secular credentials of our country, we all should be in the forefront,” read the letter.
Archbishop Pakiam said that the Constitution includes the basics of the gospel and hence it is the duty of every believer to protect it.
After the mass, the tricolor was hoisted and the preamble of the Constitution was read out along with an oath to protect the Constitution.
The Kerala Latin Church is one of the three Kerala Catholic Churches that owes its allegiance to the Vatican and the members of the church are found in large numbers in the coastal areas of the state.