We don’t share NCW stand, Modi Govt doesn’t interfere in religious matters: Minister Alphons
Christians in Kerala have come out in protest against the recommendation of the National Commission for Women (NCW) for abolishing the practice of “confession” in churches just when the BJP has reportedly been trying to earn their support ahead of the next general election.
Among those who have protested against the proposal of NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma is BJP leader George Kurien, vice-chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities, who is said to have sent a letter to the Prime Minister seeking rejection of the recommendation as it could hurt the religious sentiments and belief of Christians.
The NCW chairperson had the other day submitted a report to the Centre recommending its intervention to abolish the practice of confession in churches as it came in the way of security and safety of women. She had said that the commission had also sought a probe by a Central agency into the incidents of sexual abuse in churches.
Sharma had put forward the proposal in the context of the scandal rocking the Kerala’s influential Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in which four of its priests have been accused of sexually exploiting a young woman by blackmailing her using her confession secret. The issue is currently being probed by the Kerala Police’s Crime Branch.
According to observers, the NCW with its proposal has effectively given an opportunity to the Orthodox Church as well as the Catholic Church, which also is being rocked by a sex scandal involving its Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, to allege a conspiracy against Christians, their faith and practices “in the name of isolated cases of immoral tendencies” among the clergy.
Union Minister of State Alphons Kannanthanam said in New Delhi on Friday that the Centre did not share the NCW’s stand on confession. He said the proposal for abolition of confession was a personal opinion of Rekha Sharma and that it was not the official stand of the Narendra Modi Government which, he said, would never interfere in matters of religious beliefs.
“I am taking this proposal merely as a case of feminist position crossing the limits. Nobody has accepted it. The Minorities Commission will oppose it,” George Kurien, who termed the proposal unconstitutional, told the media. He has reportedly forwarded to the Prime Minister a letter from Kerala’s church leadership registering protests against the recommendation.
“I would like to term the NCW chairperson’s proposal as stupid and unfortunate,” said senior priest Fr Paul Thelekkat, former spokesperson of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. “Confession is being practised in almost all countries with Christian presence for the past several centuries. This is the first time such an allegation and proposal have come up,” he said.
“I have been practising and hearing confession for 42 years. I have never heard of anybody’s confession leading to his or her exploitation so far. An allegation has come up now though it is not in my church. legal action should be taken against anybody misusing the sacrament. Nobody will oppose such action,” said Fr Thelekkat.
Terming the NCW’s proposal as strange, Archbishop M Susapakiam of the Roman Catholic Church (latin rite), slammed what he called the “arrogance” of the NCW chairperson which made her put forward the proposal. “It is a prejudiced proposal and it is a humiliation to all Christians,” he said in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.
Expressing displeasure at the proposal, Major Archbishop Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, alleged that it was a direct encroachment into the freedom of the believers. He said the NCW was doing something for which it had no authority. “let us see how the Centre is going to respond to it,” he said.
Progressive elements in the Syro-Malabar Church pointed out that the NCW chairperson’s proposal is likely to disrupt the positive discussions currently going on in the leading Churches in Kerala over the necessity of reforms to the way the sacrament is being practiced and on how negative tendencies could be weeded out from among religious persons.
The All Kerala Catholic Congress, an association of lay Catholics, described the NCW chairperson’s proposal as part of a conspiracy against Christians. “The Centre should take action against the NCW for its unconstitutional position. The minorities are concerned about such moves for destroying India’s secular values,” the association said in a release.