Charges of denying funeral rites false, says Archbishop

Archbishop of Bengaluru Bernard Moras termed as a blatant lie the allegations of Catholic Christian Religious Rights' Forum that they were denied permission to hold funeral rites on Monday.

“The Archdiocese had made alternative arrangements to attend to the spiritual needs of the church members in the neighbouring church (St James Church, Mariyappanapalya), ever since St Paul the Hermit Church was shut down,” the archbishop said.

“The agitators, however, are spreading false propaganda that the neighbouring church of St James is refusing funeral rites by housing the body of a 65-year-old Catholic woman in the canonically shut down Church of St Paul the Hermit Church in Vishwanatha Nagenahalli,” he said.

“The agitators are making highly insensitive statements disturbing the peace in the community,” he said in a press release.

Moras said he ordered the closure of St Paul the Hermit Church as it was binding upon him by the universal Catholic Church Law (Canon Law) and in full justification of his office as Archbishop of Bangalore Archdiocese.

“Erecting of statue, bust or image of any person who is not declared ‘saint’ or ‘blessed’ is not allowed within the church premises. Even after warning, a bust of deceased Bangalore Archdiocesan priest C Selvaraj was unlawfully installed in the church violating Canonical regulations,” he mentioned.