From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Jun 21: In the continuing war of wielding pressure tactics against the pro-Kannada elements in the Archdiocese of Bangalore, the Federation of Konkani Catholic Associations (FKCA) and the Indian Christian United Forum (IUCF), led by social-activist T J Abraham, have sent a petition to Pope Francis demanding "de-frocking" of two Catholic priests for their alleged "Un-Christian" activities and behaviour.
FKCA Chairman Edward D’Souza and IUCF President T J Abraham, who met the Archbishop of Bangalore Dr Bernard Moras along with the other office-bearers of the two organisations on Sunday, submitted their memorandum for forwarding to Pope Francis in Vatican and listed their charges and justification for demanding the de-frocking of the two priests Fr Chalkere Chowarappa Selvaraj, who is widely known as Fr Chasara, and Fr A Thomas.
Releasing copies of their memorandum to the media, the leaders of the two organisations claimed that the two priests were "working for the division and downfall of Catholics by publicly disgracing the Catholic Church in Karnataka" and argued that Frs Chasara and Thomas were guilty of "demoralising and driving several Catholics away to other protestant denominations."
The others, who were part of the FKCA and ICUF delegation, are Silvial Noronha, ICUF Vice President, Ms Aida Margaret D’Cunha, Dolphy D’Cunha, FKCA Vice President, and Arun Fernandes, FKCA Secretary.
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The leaders of both organisations have also expressed their heartfelt gratitude for finding a permanent solution to the a long pending issue in Karnataka through the official circular, "Promulgation of Particular Legislation based on the latest and final Directives issued by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Vatican – As a Language Policy for the Liturgy in the Archdiocese of Bangalore," that was issued by the Archbishop in April this year.
The memorandum sought to bring it to the notice of the Pope that they had earlier submitted similar demands through separate memoranda to the Bangalore Archbishop in April last year and to His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias Archbishop of Bombay in May last year.
"It is our belief that the Archbishops of Bangalore and Bombay have forwarded the same (memoranda) to your Holiness but it appears that the memoranda have not been acted upon by the Papal Authority till date. Hence, we are compelled to draw your attention to the issue, which deserves to be taken up at the earliest in the interest of the Catholic Church in Bangalore and Karnataka," the leaders of the two organisations said in their memorandum.
They expressed their "deep sense of regret and distress at having to submit this representation on some of the burning issues pertaining to the Archdiocese of Bangalore, especially the “Un-Christian” activities of some of our own consecrated priests, along with some lay Catholics and also unconcerned, unconnected people belonging to other religions" and requested that the points made "after serious thought and deliberations" be given serious consideration and acted upon immediately in the interests of maintaining the unity, dignity and sanctity of the Catholic Church, as well as to reinstall the faith and confidence in our faithful."
Fall-out of Fr K J Thomas Murder
The cause for submitting this representation began as a fallout of the investigations by the Bangalore City Police in the gruesome and most brutal murder of a highly scholarly, erudite, peace-loving, well-respected and mild priest Rev Fr K J Thomas, the then Rector of the St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Bangalore, on the midnight of March 31-April 1, 2013, within the precincts of the Seminary itself.
"The ghastly murder of Fr K J Thomas by the assailants and the ransacking of his room and other rooms in the Seminary by the attackers and the inability of the police to crack the case and track the suspected murderers had shocked and saddened not only us but all peace-loving citizens in the city. On that occasion, a large number of organizations had organized candle-light vigils and other forms of protests, offered prayers and Holy Eucharist for the successful completion of the investigation, amidst a strong suspension that some priests and other powerful persons within the Archdiocese and possibly in other Dioceses were either directly or indirectly involved in the ghastly murder of a Fr K J Thomas," the memorandum said.
It was in these circumstances and after almost a full year since the murder of Fr K J Thomas, the Karnataka Director General of Police and Bangalore City Police Commissioner and other top police officers announced the arrest of three persons, including 2 priests – Fr William Patrick, Parish Priest of the Kengeri Church, and Fr Elias Daniel, belonging to the Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCD) - and a layperson Peter, for the murder of Fr K J Thomas, at a widely publicized news conference on March 21, 2014,
"With this the faithful as well as the clergy and religious brothers and sisters could heave a sigh of partial relief, with the assurance from the police that "the investigation would be completed soon and more arrests would be made in the due course,” it said.
Raising Funds to Save Arrested Persons
However, actions of some of our own priests and laypersons, who publicly took up the cause of those persons accused of murdering Fr K J Thomas, through statements in the media that the arrested persons were innocent and started collecting/mobilising huge sums of money on the pretext of engaging Senior Lawyers to fight the case of the arrested priests and also to give assistance to their families had "deeply pained, shocked and angered" all sections.
"The money so collected according to reliable sources till the month of May 2015 is around Rs 83,29,350 with most or over 75 % of the amount is alleged to have been swindled by the two priests Frs Chasara and Thomas," the memorandum contended.
"It is these priests, FrChalkere Chowrappa Selvaraj (Chasara), Parish Priest of St Joseph’s Church in Chamarajpet and FrA Thomas, Parish Priest of Kristha Karunalaya Church Jaraganahalli, Kanakapura Road, who is also the Principal/Trustee of Christ School, Marianapalya Road, Kaglipura, privately owned and run by his own Carmel Seva Sangam Trust, Mariapura, who are the ring leaders and the main trouble-makers in the Archdiocese of Bangalore," the memorandum said.
It said these persons were doing it "for their own selfish reasons and ulterior motives of gaining positions for themselves and their supporters, including some of the behind-the-scene kingpins, who are angling for key Ecclesiastical positions in the Archdiocese, and spearheading the Anti-Catholic trouble in our diocese," it said adding: "These are leaders of the so-called self-styled Kannada Catholicara Yajakara Balaga (Association of Kannada Catholic Priests), who have been causing trouble in the Archdiocese for the last several years and one of the two arrested priests, Fr William Patrick, was the Secretary of this Balaga or Association, and Fr Elias Daniel, a key activist."
These persons have been masquerading as crusaders of Kannada in Churches and have been misguiding people by shamelessly causing violent protests, law and order problems, all in the name of getting primacy for the Kannada language in the liturgical celebrations in our Catholic Church. It is no secret that "their violence was actually a mask for making money because, their violent actions have not spared even genuine Kannada speaking Priests from becoming victims," it said.
In the Christ the King Church, Yeshwanthpur, which is adjoining St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, these people have gone to the extent of pouring acid on the then Parish Priest, Fr Lawrence Noronha, and obstructing Holy Eucharist at St John the Baptist Church, Vijayanagar, and physically assaulting and attacking Fr C Jacob, a Kannadiga priest, while conducting a service in Kannada, in the StMary’s Church at Hegde Nagar and several other churches over the past several years, especially and intentionally during the Holy Week Liturgical celebrations preceding Easter or Christmas celebrations, and wondered if anyone fighting for the cause of Kannadigas attack Kannadiga Priests while celebrating a Mass in Kannada?
The memorandum claimed that the priests with their anti-social supporters, including non-Christians such as Kannada writer Chidananda Murthy, Pramila Nesargi, Pundalika Halambi and other busy-bodies like Kannada Rakshana Vedike President Narayana Gowda have been threatening of holding protests and demonstrations on the streets even after the release of the circular, which has "actually given absolute supremacy and prominence to Kannada in the churches of the Archdiocese of Bangalore" and thereby exposing that their motive was not Kannada but a deliberate ploy of fomenting disturbance aimed at driving Catholics away to other Protestant denominations.
Fraudulent Means of Fund Collection
Leaders of the two organisations, have in their memorandum, claimed that "we have authentic and credible information obtained from various sources regarding the so-called widespread fund collections carried out by these priests through several fraudulent means and organizations, which according to our information, runs into several crore of rupees to finance and sustain their sectarian and selfish agenda. It is reliably learnt that it is a conspiracy to intentionally create an unhealthy atmosphere in the Catholic Church, and also divert the attention away from the actual issue to save the culprits in the murder case."
They claimed that it is in public knowledge that the Carmel Seva Sangam-trust which is run by the President of the Catholic Karnataka Kannada Priests Balaga FrA Thomas, receives funds from foreign agencies called FODERVEREIN BEDEN, and ANNAPURNA FOUNDATION Germany and pointed out that the matter has already been taken up with the concerned authorities in this regard for a thorough investigation and necessary legal action.
"We also have documentary evidences of police complaints regarding the some of the shameful and unlawful activities, violent incidents and other illegal activities involving most of these priests in different police stations," the memorandum said.
They contended that there was a strong case that the two arrested priests as well as their main supporters, especially the ring leaders and the others, must be excommunicated from the Catholic Church, under the provisions of the Canon Law forthwith, as they are guilty of "wilfully violating and deliberately flouting their solemn religious vows of obedience and loyalty to the Ecclesial superiors" and also allegedly "violating the Sixth and Ninth Commandments that forbid killing or bearing false witness, which are consequently sufficient grounds for their automatic excommunication" and promised to furnish more documentary evidence and proof.