By Jose Kavi
New Delhi, June 25, 2023: A Catholic priest in Kerala, who recently left active ministry to work for Church reformation, laments that the bishops in his home state now act like their counterparts in Germany during the Hitler era.
In a letter titled, “If not now, when?” circulated among his friends and associates, Father Ajimon (Thomas) Puthiyaparambil on June 25 quoted Pope John Paul II to assert that silence against evil is a sin.
He says the Catholic bishops in Kerala often burn with the love for the Church and social consciousness when someone attacks a wayside chapel or protests before their institutions. However, such sentiments were not shown for the people of Manipur in northeastern India where ethnic violence has raged for the past 54 days.
“They have limited their concern for Manipur to a just press statement or a mere candlelight prayer service,” laments the 46-year-old priest of the Thamarassery Syro-Malabar diocese who on May 13 quit active priestly ministry.
He reminds the bishops that the red sash they wear around their waist is not a decoration but indication of their readiness to die for their faith.
“This is the right time to show their ideals with actions rather than words,” he says and cites Christ’s message that a good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Father Puthiyaparambil urges the bishops not to act like the hireling who runs away when a wolf attacks his sheep leaving behind his flock.
He then explains the reasons why the German Church, especially its bishops, supported Adolf Hitler.
The German bishops believed Hitler’s false position that he was the protector of Christians, that the enemies of the Church were his enemies, and that Germany itself was fundamentally Christian.
“This was only a ploy to gain the support of the Christian majority in Germany. Later, scores of priests and thousands of Christians were killed as victims of Nazi brutality,” Father Puthiyaparambil explains.
Another reason for the German Church to support Hitler was the pragmatic thinking that it was better to cooperate with the government for the smooth running of their institutions and systems.
By the time they realized Hitler was a cruel and tyrant, the bishops were afraid to say anything because of the fear for the safety for themselves and their supporters.
Decades later, Pope John Paul II publicly apologized for the Catholic Church’s sin of aiding and abetting Hitler’s Nazi terror through silence and inaction.
Hugging the crucifix in St. Peter’s Basilica during Lent during the Great Jubilee Year, the Pope cried out to the world: “We repent….please forgive us.”
Father Puthiyaparambil pleads with the Kerala bishops to learn from history lest they repeat its tragic pages. The Kerala Church will have to apologize in the future for its “brutal silence and inaction” towards the cries of the people of Manipur, he warns.
Very well articulated: reflects his reading of history correctly 👍🏻