Kochi: The Syro-Malabar church on Thursday made its stand clear that the removal of cross which was allegedly installed on encroached land should not be used for inciting religious passions. However, it would have been better the officials showed a bit more discretion in the process of removal, the church’s spokesperson Fr. Jimmy Poochakkattil told DC. He said the Syro-Malabar Church did not support encroachment in any manner.
However, the Kerala Catholic Bishop Council took a different view in the episode and asked the state government whether it followed a policy of destruction of the cross in the state. In a statement, the KCBC said the government should have opted for constitutional means for the removal of the cross if it stood on encroached land. The removal of the cross by creating an atmosphere of fear and terror was improper, KCBC deputy secretary Fr. Varghese Vallikkat said. “The incident bringing back something similar to the memory of the demolition of the Babri Masjid capable of creating disturbances in Kerala Society should have been avoided,” he said.
