a Kerala bishop sparks controversy

Faced with plummeting rubber prices, Archbishop Joseph Pamplany, Archbishop of Tellicherry, calls on the central government to intervene, pledging support for Hindu nationalists in return. The statements of Fr. Thelakat, former spokesman for the Syro-Malabar Synod: “It is an exchange for money that does not take into account the good of the country.”

Kannur () – In the Christian community of Kerala, the statements of a bishop who alluded to the possibility of supporting the BJP in exchange for aid from the central government to local farmers are a matter of debate. The Archbishop of Tellicherry, Monsignor Joseph Pamplany, spoke a few days ago at a meeting with farmers organized by the All Kerala Catholic Congress in Kannur. Faced with the fall in the prices of agricultural products, and of rubber in particular, he said: “Prices have collapsed, who is responsible? No one… In a democracy, a protest only acquires value when it becomes a vote We can say to the central government: if they buy rubber from farmers at 300 rupees per kilo, whatever party they belong to, we are ready to vote for them.In this way, farmers would solve the problem of the BJP, which does not have a deputy in Kerala”.

The archbishop added that the farmers will not cease their protest until their demands are met: “We are not against any government, but the authorities must ensure a situation where farmers can survive here.”

This stance is causing consternation among many Indian Catholics. “I am horrified by the archbishop’s statements,” he told Father Paul Thelakat, former spokesman for the Syro-Malabar Synod. “Considering all parties as equal, to put it bluntly, is naive. In Germany, the Nazi party came to power thanks to the votes. Politics is an ethic that extends to the whole country. He does not question whether a political party accepts all citizens as equals or not, whether all religions are free to practice and propagate their religion. It does not care about the rights of the other citizens of the country, it does not even care about the Catholics of the country. It is a shame”.

For Father Thelekat, Archbishop Pamplany “betrays the Church’s doctrine on politics, and only cares about a group of peasants and believers. He exchanges votes for money. Such a cheap and unprincipled leadership can endanger the Church and to the community. He speaks as a community leader and not as an ecclesiastical leader.”