Addressing a news conference on Wednesday, Foundation Secretary P B D’Sa said that while 98.7 per cent of people in churches are the laymen, only 1.3 per cent are the clergies. Despite this, assets and power vests in the hands of this 1.3 per cent.
“We from the Foundation demand share in administration for the laymen. If this is not possible, then the Government should take over all the assets and properties of the church as done in the cases of Hindu and Muslim religious places,” he said.
Speaking on instances of misuse, D’Sa said that the churches are making money by leasing the crematorium space. These crematorium lands have been given to the churches either by the government or by philanthropists and hence the priests do not have the right to lease it out.
He said that there exists strong sense of ‘Manuvada’ in churches and schools and colleges run by these churches. “Most of the priests and nuns are white-skinned. One can hardly find any Dalit becoming Bishops or nuns or priests. This scenario even exists in schools where admissions to Dalits are denied,” he said adding that there is lot of money spent on converting the Dalits to Christianity but they are continued to be treated as inferiors.
Talking about the huge sum of money spent on conversion, D’Sa said that those worried about conversion should watch Bidar where money is poured for conversion and not trouble the laymen who pray in their houses.
He also said that church attack was used as a medium by the churches to make more money.
