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Seething at the freezing of its bank accounts in the aftermath of the anti-port protests in Vizhinjam two years ago, the Latin Catholic Church has blamed both the Central and the State governments for its plight.
With just a few days left for the polls, the turn of events could have electoral implications with the influential denomination, which wields considerable sway in some coastal belts, mulling over departing from its equidistant stance to adopt a “right distance” policy at the hustings.
In a pastoral letter read out in all parishes under the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram on the occasion of Good Shepherd Sunday (the third Sunday of Easter), Archbishop Thomas J. Netto laid stress on the prevailing financial strain that has led to a halt to several activities.
He pointed out the Church annually spent around ₹2 crore every year on its priest training programmes, caring for retired clergy, in addition to funds for other initiatives at the archdiocesan and other administrative levels.
“In addition to these, we have been unable to accept financial assistance that we used to receive for missionary works with the power centres freezing our bank accounts since last year after the Vizhinjam agitation. The situation continues even now,” the letter read.
Thiruvananthapuram Archdiocese Vicar General Eugine H. Pereira pointed out the Church’s outreach programmes supporting economically disadvantaged families along the coast as well as in other areas had suffered greatly with the FCRA (Foreign Contribution [Regulation] Act) bank accounts of its social service organisations frozen.
He said such actions stemmed from reports submitted by the Kerala Police to the Union Home Ministry after protests against the Adani Group-run Vizhinjam International Seaport project in 2022.
Despite assurances from the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government regarding the withdrawal of cases against protesters, no concrete steps had been taken, Monsignor Pereira, who was the general convenor of the action council, said.
Emphasising the Church’s pitch for a more politically engaged approach for the upcoming polls, he said the archdiocese has submitted an 18-point charter of demands to the three political groups. “Our faithful have suffered great injustices. We will extend our support to the coalition that fulfils our needs,” he said.
In addition to seeking solutions for families displaced by the Vizhinjam project, the Latin Catholic Church demanded measures to address the challenges faced by the fishing community in areas including Muthalapozhi and Pozhiyoor, issuance title deeds to coastal residents in Thiruvananthapuram, implementation of reservation for Dalit Christians, and the adoption of recommendations made by J.B. Koshy Commission that had studied the problems faced by Christians, among others.
