The Syro-Malabar Church strongly criticised the CPM state secretary M.V. Govindan’s remarks against Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplani, declaring that no political party has the right to interfere in Church affairs. The Church described Govindan’s comments as “condemnable, irresponsible and misleading.”
The statement came after CPM leaders attacked Archbishop Pamplani for thanking the Prime Minister Modi and the Union Home Minister Amit Shah for their intervention in the Chhattisgarh issue, which secured the release of Catholic nuns. The Church said the Archbishop’s words were an expression of gratitude, consistent with its general policy, and not an act of political opportunism as alleged.
“The Church will call right a right and wrong a wrong. No political party can issue diktats regarding whom the Church should thank, or whom it should criticise and oppose. We respect senior leaders of all political parties, and they too should accord the same sort of democratic treatment towards the Church,” the statement read.
The Syro-Malabar Church accused certain political leaders of attempting to tarnish the Archbishop’s image for political gain. It reiterated that the Church has no truck with any political party and that its political position is always principle-based. “Govindan’s statement is cheap,” it added, while stressing that the Archbishop’s expression of thanks had been deliberately misinterpreted.
The Kerala Catholic Congress also waded into the controversy, asking Govindan “not to behave like Govindachamy,” a reference to the convict in the infamous 2011 Soumya murder case. The sharp comparison underscored the anger within the Catholic community over what they see as a campaign of vilification against Archbishop Pamplani.
Govindan had branded the Archbishop “the biggest opportunist,” claiming that his thanks to the Union leadership were politically motivated. He further alleged that the Church did not need the CPM’s AKG Centre. However, Church representatives dismissed these accusations, arguing that such propaganda is a calculated attempt to prevent Christians from shifting towards the BJP.
The Syro-Malabar Church reaffirmed its long-standing neutral stance, clarifying that it does not maintain special alignments or affiliations with any political party. “Our politics is principle-based. We will criticise wrongdoing and acknowledge what is right when necessary,” the statement said.
Concluding its response, the Church stressed that gratitude, criticism, or acknowledgment must remain outside the realm of partisan politics. “In matters of expressing thanks or disapproval, there is no place for political interference. We have always respected political parties and their leaders as part of the democratic system, and we expect the same democratic respect in return,” it declared.
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