Bishop of the Pala diocese of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in Kerala has slammed the ‘pseudo secularists’ in an article called ‘Don’t stay silent when there is a to speak out’ published in Deepika, the official mouth-piece of the church. According to a report by The Hindu, Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt wrote against those people who ignore and try to shut down voices that expose social evils. “Those who insist that one should not talk about the evils that befall his own community, are silently encouraging such things to flourish. Instead of ignoring the warnings issued against such social evils, attempts should be made to discuss and study these issues to prevent their further occurrence,” he wrote.
While the Bishop stood by secularism as a core of India, he wanted to warn against pseudo-secularism which according to him ‘will destroy the country’. He said, “Secularism is at the core of our constitution. The religious community and the secular community must learn to live together. The essence of Indian secularism is the respect towards all religions.”
However, Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt also expressed his concerns about how secularism could lead to extremism noting. He said, “from the growth of conservative racist movements in the West, we should learn how secularism gives birth to religious extremism. The situation of India too will not be different if we fail to accept Indian secularism in its true sense.” The Bishop also worried if Kerala would become communally polarised through secularism.
Earlier the Bishop of Pala, Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, had accused a section of the Muslims of carrying out Narcotics Jihad and Love Jihad against non-muslim boys and girls where they were trapped for exploitation and conversion. According to a report published in Kerala Kaumudi, the Bishop had been vocal about the targeting of young Christian by Islamist groups for conversion and exploitation.
During an event, Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt had said non-Muslim boys and girls are increasingly becoming the victims of Narcotics Jihad along with Love Jihad in the state. He went further and said that there are specific groups operational in Kerala that are targeting non-Muslim youngsters and even providing assistance to carry out targeted exploitation of non-Muslim youth. The video of the event where the Bishop made the statement was reportedly shared by the Kuravalingad Church.
#NewsAlert | Girls, boys who are not Muslims are becoming victims of ‘love jihad’ & ‘narcotic jihad’: Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, Kerala Bishop.
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) September 9, 2021
Vivek K with details & analysis pic.twitter.com/xjZVX2AgOV
While the Church council condemned Bishop Joseph’s statement citing Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) disapproval, it is to be noted that even the KCBC spoke against the State and Union Government and criticized it for turning a blind eye to the issue, and not conducting a proper probe into the case of “missing women and children”.
The Media Commission of the Syro Malabar Church, the Synod of the Church made a press release stating, “the menacing rise of Love Jihad stands to imperil the communal harmony and peace in Kerala. It is a fact that Christian girls are being targeted by the love jihad in the state,”
