Syro Malabar Church condemns attempts to discredit its leaders

By Matters India Reporter

Kochi, May 17, 2022: The Syro-Malabar Church on May 17 condemned attempts by certain political leaders to discredit Christians and their leaders to gain temporary electoral success.

The Kerala-based Oriental Catholic rite’s Public Affairs Commission noted that the southern Indian state was known for its great secular culture. But in recent times various communities have drifted apart because of the works some divisive groups.

The meeting, presided over by the commission chairman Archbishop Andrews Thazhath of Trichur, stressed the need to maintain harmony among all religious communities for India’s social wellbeing.

The meeting held at the Church’s headquarters in Kakkanad, a Kochi suburb, called for steps to promote communal harmony and defeat attempts by certain political parties to create communal polarization through hate mongering.

The commission also regretted that attempts to foster harmony between different religions and communities have often remained superficial, reports syromalabarvision.com, the Church’s news portal.

Religious harmony can only be achieved through fair and equitable solutions to the threats of terrorism faced by the public. The meeting called for an impartial study of the attempts by certain groups to entrap women and children, and use black money and drugs to disturb social cohesion. It also called for an end to discrimination, especially in minority issues.

The meeting also stressed the need for “a sincere effort” to preserve the nation’s integrity, pluralism and secularism by rejecting sectarianism and all forms of invasions.

All religions, political parties and those working in the field of art, culture, media and cinema have a duty to society to maintain social harmony, the meeting added.