By Matters India Reporter

Koodapuzha, March 23, 2020: Police in Kerala on March 23 arrested a Catholic priest for celebrating Mass in the church with some 100 people, defying government order on social distancing to contain coronavirus pandemic.

However, the police let off Father Pauly Padayatty, a priest of the Irinjalakkuda diocese, after he tendered a written apolody.

Father Padayatty, parish priest Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church of Koodapuzha, offered Mass at 6 am with the participation of about 100 faithful.

On being alerted, the police came to the church, arrested the 58-year-old priest and took him to the police station.

“Yes it is true, the priest was taken to police station and later on, released,” a priest from the diocese told Matters India.

The priest said a family had approached Father Padayatty to offer Mass in memory of a relative who died recently. The priest agreed, but strictly asked the family to restrict the number of participants to less than the permissible limit of 50. But they failed to fulfill the promise and more persons attended the Mass.

The police said the priest has been released on bail. They have also booked 50 other people who attended the Mass.

Father Padayatty was ordained a priest on December 31, 1987, by the then Bishop James Pazhayattil of Irinjalakuda at Karottukara in Ernakulam district. He studied at St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary, Vadavathoor, Kottayam.

The Kerala government had directed the closure of places of worship in the southern Indian state. Catholic priests could offer Mass in the churches alone or with the sacristan.

The Catholic church in Kerala had earlier directed parishes to avoid large gatherings for holy mass, joining the state’s efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Catholic bishops in the state issued a circular in this regard and advised online participation for the aged and children.

The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC), in its circular, insisted that the elderly and children should attend the holy mass online at home. “Persons suffering from cold, cough and fever should keep off from such groups,” the circular said.

The bishops are authorized to take decision if a situation arises that public masses in a church should be suspended in view of the coronavirus spread.

The KCBC directive came at a time when churches the world over are doing all they can to help contain the spread of the virus, avoiding large gatherings in churches. The Kerala government has advised the public and religious organisations to avoid all mass gatherings.

In several parts of the state, religious festivals have been postponed or reduced to mere rituals.

Indian is currently battling the coronavirus outbreak as 415 people have tested positive to the global pandemic.

Kerala is among critically affected states in the country where more new cases are being reported daily from the second week of March.

Kerala has put at least 60,000 persons under surveillance, especially those returning from overseas such as the Middle East countries, Italy and United Kingdom.

The state government is also making elaborate arrangements to quarantine more suspected persons to check the virus spreading to the community.