By Jose Kavi
New Delhi, June 7, 2023: The oldest church in northeastern India has been entangled in a factional feud for more than eight months.
On June 4, the Christ Church in Guwahati, the commercial capital of Assam state, witnessed unruly scenes when one group shut the doors obstructing another group from the church building.
Video clips circulated on social media showed two women arguing with others while blocking them from the church.
Samuel Sangma, former secretary of the church and leader of a function, described the incident as “unprecedented” and “most reprehensible.”
He told Matters India June 6 that the church doors were forcefully shut by three ordinary members of the church – the wives of bishop and presbyter and a layman.
He also said the incident has shocked Christians as the church that was built by the British in 1844 is the main place of worship for the Diocese of North East India (DNEI) of the Church of North India.
On the other hand, Jonathan Giri, the diocesan secretary, said the diocese’s officer bearers on June 6 held an urgent teleconferencing and condemned the events that happened two days earlier.
June 4 “will be remembered as a Black Sunday in the history of the Christ Church, Guwahati. A well plan and orchestrated attack on the church, in the absence of the Presbyter-in-Charge, in pure violation of the Constitution of the Church of North India, took place on that fateful Sunday, Ied by Samuel Sangma and a group of members of the Church of North India, Guwahati Pastorate,” says a press release from the official side.
Sangma traced the “fiasco” to “the serious breach of pastoral vows and the CNI Constitution” by presbyter Revered Harrison Masih who allegedly abandoned the Eucharistic service “in a fit of anger” on October 30, 2022.
The lay leader said the congregation was shocked and grieved by the presbyter’s refusal to perform the Sacrament.
The congregation on October 30, 2022, authorized the pastorate secretary to write to Bishop Michael Herenz of DNEI to remove and discipline Masih to uphold the sanctity and spiritual life “of the first church” in the region.
Despite numerous petitions, Bishop Herenz, has refused to act against the presbyter, Sangma alleged.
On the contrary, the bishop disbanded the elected pastorate committee and declared Sangma, the secretary and the treasurer as individuals not in “good standing in the Church.” The prelate then foisted “an illegal ad hoc committee,” Sangma alleged.
When the hierarchy ignored their request, the congregation decided to resume worship in the church from June 4, the dismissed secretary said.
The statement issued by Giri says that on June 4 the bishop and the presbyter were away in Kashmir to attend a clergy retreat. Only the presbyter is authorized to conduct services, and in his absence by someone who deputes.
On June 4, Ismail Kawah, who was deputed by the presbyter, conducted the services from 8:45 am to 10:30 am.
According to Giri’s statement, Sangma and team came after the services “with an intention to conduct a meeting inside the church which is illegal under the Church constitution.”
It also says Sangma and team had been told that they were free to worship during the allotted hours as no one is barred from the worship. However, conducting a separate service or meeting was against the rules, the statement explains.
Sangma says when they came to the church, his team was obstructed physically from entering the church by Zina Herenz, the bishop’s wife, Nisha Masih, the presbyter’s wife and Jocky John, a layman.
“The high handedness of the wives of the bishop and the Presbyter reeks of a conspiracy. Their sole agenda is to impose complete control over the day to day administration of the church in complete violation of the CNI Constitution and ensure Bishop Michael’s continued occupation of a part of the buildings of the church in the interest of his wife who has a job in a nursing school in the city,” Sangma said.
He said the diocese’s cathedral, diocesan office and bishop’s residence are in Shillong, capital of neighboring Meghalaya state. Hence the bishop’s regular stay in the Guwahati church premises is “totally untenable,” Sangma asserted.
Giri’s statement says the bishop’s wife and the other two were “duty bound and legally correct as responsible members” to stop Sangma and team from holding an illegal meeting.
The official statement says the bishop’s wife and others called the police sensing trouble. “The matter would have ended there amicably, but Samuel Sangma took it further and lodged a formal complaint with the police station,” it adds.
Giri also says the decision to disband the pastorate committee was taken by the executive committee of the diocesan council “in the interest of the Church.”
The diocesan secretary says the bishop stays more time in Guwahati as 70 percent of pastorates and the faithful are in Assam. The bishop has a small office and transit accommodation inside the campus of the Christ Church. This helps him to cover various areas of the diocese smoothly and to make it easy for his people from Assam to meet him.
“Moreover, the bishop is free to stay anywhere in the diocese,” asserted Giri, the diocesan secretary.
Sangma said the Christ Church has remained “a beacon of hope, peace, joy and spiritual solac” not only for its members but all its visitors during the past 179 years.
He says the congregation now prays for the CNI authorities to resolve their grievances, restore conditions for spiritual nourishment and community life.
The Guwahati scandal is the latest to hit the Church of North India whose bishops have in recent times come under the scanner for cases related to shady land deals with unscrupulous builders for profits.
One of them is the dismissed Bishop P C Singh of Jabalpur, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on money laundering charges and financial irregularities.
The Guwahati church occupies prime location land and is worth billions of rupees making it extremely valuable.