Govindan draws Church ire for ‘opportunistic' jibe at bishop

Time of India

8 hours ago

K
ozhikode: CPM state secretary M V Govindan's comment calling Thalassery Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany 'opportunistic' drew a strong reaction from Thalassery Archdiocese.
The Church called the remark substandard, condemnable and similar to the language of fascist forces."The idea that Catholic bishops must speak only with AKG Centre's approval shows another face of fascism," said the archdiocese in a statement.
It refuted the interpretation that Pamplany, who had strongly opposed the unconstitutional actions of the Centre and Sangh Parivar organizations in the Chhattisgarh nun issue, had shifted his stand.
Thanking the Centre for acting on the Church leadership's request was not a change of position. The archbishop took a considerate stand to avoid religious polarization, claimed the archdiocese in its statement.
It said Pamplany had always spoken against govt actions targeting minorities. It criticized Govindan for making misleading remarks and said such comments were unacceptable from a senior CPM leader. Anyone who follows Govindan's statements can see that opportunism is his trademark.
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The people of Kerala know he rarely stands by a statement for more than a week, claimed the archdiocese.
Catholic Congress also slammed Govindan and its director Fr Philip Kaviyil said the CPM leader should speak respectfully. "Someone holding a key party post shouldn't talk like Govindachamy," he said, referring to a convicted murderer.
Fr Kaviyil warned that insulting Church leaders could lead to consequences.
He said the archbishop had thanked all who helped during the Chhattisgarh crisis, including Congress and CPM leaders, home minister Amit Shah and BJP leaders in Kerala. "There was no politics. It's basic decency to thank those who helped in a crisis," he said.
Church leaders don't need a political party's permission to speak. The Church has its own stand and the freedom to express it anywhere, he said, adding that some might be attacking the archbishop because they didn't want another Pinarayi Vijayan-led govt.
On Monday, Govindan had said at a party event in Taliparamba that Pamplany had attacked BJP when the nuns were arrested in Chhattisgarh but praised Shah and others after they were released on bail.
Meanwhile, DYFI state secretary V K Sanoj, who had earlier compared Pamplany to German pastor Martin Niemoller, defended his comments on Tuesday. Niemoller had initially supported Hitler but was later jailed for opposing him.
Sanoj said that instead of responding to historical facts, some were simply blabbering to please RSS. On the Govindachamy comparison, he said it didn't deserve a reply. He added that ignoring political questions and making such comments was just an attempt to dodge criticism.
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