Kerala church feud triggers demand for Church Act

Pressure is mounting again on the left-front government in Kerala for implementing the proposed legislation giving control for devotees on the properties of churches. The intensifying feuds between two Christian factions in Kerala over the right of churches have fueled the fresh demands.

Though a draft law, The Kerala Christian Church Properties and Institution Trust Bill, popularly known as Church Act, was prepared in 2009, both the Congress-led and CPM-led governments that had been ruling Kerala were not keen in implementing it, obviously owing to pressure from the Church heads.

However, in the wake of a series of incidents like the land scam in the Ernakulam - Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro Malabar Church and the ongoing tussle between the Orthodox and Jacobite factions of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala, the long-pending demand for the Church Act gained further momentum.

While a massive march to the Kerala government secretariat was organised by the Joint Christian Council and All Kerala Church Act Action Council recently, a series of meetings raising the demand would be organised in the coming months.

Indulekha Joseph of the All Kerala Church Act Action Council told DH that the need for the Church Act has now become very significant in view of the increasing instances of the difficulties being faced by the members of the Jacobite faction in conducting funerals as the Orthodox faction is having control of many churches. "So far there is no positive signs from the government in implementing the Church Act. In that case, more intense agitations would be initiated," she said.

Malankara Action Council for Church Act Action Council director Father Yuhanon Ramban said that the government should consider the demand of a large number of believers rather than succumbing to the pressure from the church heads. Many states have already enacted laws to control church properties.

While the draft law in 2009 was prepared by then Kerala Law Commission headed by Justice V R Krishna Iyer, last year the present law commission headed by justice K T Thomas drafted the Kerala Church (Properties and Institution) Bill-2019. The 2009 law was more stringent in controlling church properties and hence many are batting for the 2009 law. But the government was averse towards implementing the law drafted last year.