Kerala church land row: Cardinal George Alencherry holds out olive branch

Kochi: The controversies in connection with a series of land deals in Ernakulam-Angmalay Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church is all set to be resolved amicably, says Cardinal George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church on Sunday. In his message to the faithful on the occasion of Palm Sunday in Kochi Cardinal Alencherry, at the centre of the controversial land deals, said the official statement released by him and auxiliary bishops is the truth connected with the land deals. No one should be worried over other news appearing in this regard, he said.

All issues will be resolved through the collective efforts of the bishops, priests and members of the laity, he said. Thanking everybody for their prayers, the Cardinal said the days ahead are days of peace. Reminding the faithful that the whip of God is poised against all of us the Cardinal stressed the need for purification of the individuals, households and the church. All of us, including you and me are impure on various accounts, he said, and added that power and money are the sources of the impurity.

A Palm Sunday procession with donkeys being taken out at Rajagiri Christ The King Church, Sreemoolanagaram near Kochi in remembrance of the way in which Jesus Christ was paraded on the day. (Photo: DC)

A meeting of the Presbyteral Council meeting held on Saturday has ironed most differences that existed amongst the priests on the land deals even as representative bodies of the laity supporting and opposing the Cardinal remained divided. The land deal has rocked the Syro-Malabar Church for the past few months with a section of the priests and laity openly accusing the Cardinal with lack of transparency in the transactions connected with the sale of land belonging to Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese resulting to huge financial losses for the archdiocese.