- Wednesday, December 25, 2024
The priest had remarked that while Modi attended Christmas celebrations in Delhi, Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists disrupted Christmas celebrations in Palakkad
By: India Weekly
A SENIOR priest of the Orthodox Church in Kerala on Tuesday criticised the BJP and prime minister Narendra Modi over their Christmas celebrations, pointing to the recent disruption of festivities at a school in Palakkad by VHP activists.
The sharp remarks from Yuhanon Mor Meletius, metropolitan of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church’s Thrissur diocese, were shared on his social media handle a day after Modi attended Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) in New Delhi.
“Over there, bishops are honoured, and cribs are revered. Here, cribs are destroyed. There must be a saying in Malayalam for such behaviour, right?” the priest wrote in a Facebook post.
After the post went viral and attracted media attention, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church distanced itself from Meletius’s remarks.
Its head, Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, clarified that the metropolitan’s views were his “opinions”.
The controversy arose following the alleged disruption of Christmas celebrations at a school by local Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists and the destruction of a symbolic crib created by children at another school by unidentified miscreants in Palakkad district, sparking widespread protests across Kerala.
The state government has formed a special police team to investigate the incidents.
Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, the Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan, clarified that the Orthodox Church does not adopt a “negative approach” toward any political party or the statements of leaders.
He further emphasised that the Church “unequivocally respects” all political parties and their leaders.
“At the same time, the Church maintains an equal distance from all political parties and their leaders,” Baselios Marthoma Mathews III added.
To a reporter’s query about the disruption of Christmas celebrations in Palakkad schools, he remarked that such incidents, whether occurring in the north or the south, were unacceptable.
He also stated that both the destruction of Christian churches in the country and the damage to the crib are matters of concern.
CBCI stand
Meanwhile, the CBCI President Mar Andrews Thazhath added that the remarks made by Yuhanon Mor Meletius regarding PM Modi’s participation were his personal opinion, and he had no further comment on individual criticisms.
“We invited the Prime Minister of India, not a BJP leader, to our Christmas celebrations. The invitation was extended not based on politics,” he told media in Thrissur.
Thazhath added that, in addition to thanking Modi for his participation, the Church also conveyed its concerns and urged the prime minister to focus on the development of the country, incorporating all religious groups.
Senior Congress leader and CWC member Ramesh Chennithala accused Modi of ‘double standards’ by participating in Christmas celebrations in New Delhi and allegedly allowing Sangh Parivar outfits to threaten the Christian community across the country.
Chennithala said the incident at the Palakkad schools was “unheard of in Kerala’s traditionally harmonious religious environment.”
CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam described Modi’s participation in the Christmas celebrations in New Delhi as a “drama of political hypocrisy.”
The Left leader further stated that if there is any sincerity in the words the prime minister spoke at the CBCI headquarters, he should go to Manipur “this Christmas with a message of love and peace.”
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly condemned the alleged disruption of Christmas celebrations in Palakkad and urged everyone to “unite against communal forces” in the state.
Vijayan, however, did not comment on prime minister Modi attending Christmas events in New Delhi.
This was the first time a prime minister had attended such a programme at the headquarters of the Catholic Church in India. (PTI)
