In yet another example of the Christian church’s practice of ostracising its members with critical views, the East Kerala Diocese of the Church of South India refused to allow burial of the body of a former professor who wrote a book that allegedly hurt its interests in the parish cemetery. The body was buried at the courtyard of the professor’s house following this.
CSI’s East Kerala Bishop Dr KG Daniel had denied permission for burying the body of Prof CC Jacob, who died on Saturday, at the family grave in the cemetery of his parish church St Mathias Church at Ellumpuram, Idukki. Jacob had been expelled from the church sometime back for writing a book that questioned the tradition of childhood baptism in the Church.
According to family sources, Jacob’s children held talks with the Bishop for three times on Saturday but he stood firm in his stand that the body could not be buried in the family grave until they apologised to the church. The Bishop was ready to allow burial in an ordinary grave as a concession from the Church and not a right of the dead man and family.
Jacob’s children, however, refused to apologise, saying that their father had done nothing wrong. By Saturday evening the Bishop agreed to permit burial in the family grave after reconciliatory talks but he went back on his word on Sunday morning, family sources said. Following this, the body of Jacob was buried at his house courtyard on Sunday afternoon.
After the incident triggered a controversy, the Diocesan office came out with a claim that the Bishop had permitted Jacob’s burial in the family grave. Fr Jacob Antony, secretary to Bishop Daniel, said the church had no idea why the body had to be buried in the courtyard of Jacob’s house, adding that there were several efforts from the part of the Bishop to take Jacob back.
Jacob, a former member of the Syndicate of the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam and a former history professor with Henri Baker College, Melukavu, had earlier served as the convener of the East Kerala Diocese formation committee the diocese’s first laity forum secretary, its registrar, diocesan council member and member of the Synod executive committee.
However, he was expelled from the church after publishing a book, Jalasnanam, Oru Padanam (Baptism by Water: A Study) in 2008, which questioned Christians’ baptism in early childhood. The clergy took objection to the suggestion in his book that decision on religious belief by an individual had to be taken after one attained knowledge of oneself.