Congress and its rival CPI(M) led LDF hope the Church's concern against forces that promote religious polarisation will favour them.
Priests of Latin catholic Church are taking part in a protest rally in Thiruvananthapuram in 2022 against the under construction Adani sponsored International Transhipment terminal. (KB Jayachandran/ South First)
The Latin Catholic Church in Kerala on Sunday, 17 March, issued a circular warning people about “the forces that attempt to land the country’s fragile democracy in danger by fermenting religious polarisation”.
The move is significant as it would influence the electoral outcome in Thiruvananthapuram and a set of other Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.
A church circular read out during the Sunday mass on 17 March called for a day of prayer and fasting on 22 March for peace and harmony in the country.
Church observers interpret it as a clear signal to the laity, mostly fish workers who face the adverse impacts of the multi-crore Adani port in Vizhijam, apart from the vagaries of climate change, including the severe coastal erosion in southern Kerala, against voting in favour of BJP candidates.
In the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, where the preference of the Latin Catholic community is a deciding factor, the new development will adversely impact the prospects of Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who contests for the BJP.
The church’s decision will also influence electoral outcomes in the Kollam, Ernakulam, Alappuzha, and Chalakudy constituencies.
Interestingly, the circular is being moved a day after Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government decided to withdraw a set of criminal cases registered against the arch-bishop, many priests, and scores of the laity of the Thiruvananthapuram Latin diocese who protested against the construction of the Adani group sponsored an international seaport at Vizhinjam in December 2022.
However, the benefactor of the decision — the LDF or the opposition Congress-led UDF — could be identified only on 4 June, the day the votes will be counted.
The circular — signed by Archbishop Thomas J Netto — said religious fundamentalist organisations, divisive attitudes, and hate speeches were destroying the country’s Constitution and its diversity.
“These days, the fundamental rights enshrined under the Constitution and the rights of minorities are violated, and Christians and Christian institutions are facing attacks and threats regularly. In 2014, there were 147 reported incidents of violence against Christians. However, in 2023, the number of attacks went up to 687,” the circular said.
The church called for all believers to participate in the prayer and fasting on 22 March.
As Lok Sabha elections are approaching, the three major political fronts — the Left-led LDF, the Congress-led UDF, and the BJP-led NDA have been trying to woo the community.
The circular reflects the church’s animosity towards the Adani group, which links closely with the BJP government.
The decision has also sent a clear message to a sizable portion of the priests and laity of the Malankara and Malabar segments of the Catholic Church in Kerala, which are attempting to mend fences with the BJP-RSS despite the anti-Christian violence in Manipur.
The BJP is attempting its level best to win the votes of the Catholic Church members in the state.
The church was taking an anti-LDF stand for quite a long time, especially after the Vijayan government used its might to crush the striking work by fish workers against the Adani port, saying it would ruin their livelihood.
In the last two days, the state government has announced that it would withdraw 157 out of the 199 cases registered against the protestors and a local Hindu group that organised a counter-protest favouring the port.
According to the government, the remaining cases have serious clauses and unjustifiable charges, and only the court can withdraw them.
The government has said the cases to be withdrawn include those registered against Archbishop Thomas J Netto.
The state government said it was withdrawing the cases registered against large-scale violence, police-protestor clashes that injured both sides, widespread destruction of public property, road blockades, and the stoppage of the sea wall construction, keeping in view the larger public interest.
The police had charged hundreds of protestors, including women. They included members of the Latin Catholic clergy. The Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Catholic Church (Latin Rite), Thomas J Netto, Auxiliary Bishop Christudas, and Vicar General Eugene Pereira were also named as accused by the police.
The charges against the protestors who vandalised the Vizhinjam police station included criminal conspiracy, attempt to murder, unlawful assembly, rioting, voluntarily causing grievous hurt to officers discharging their duty, and destruction of police property, including patrol vehicles.
The church-backed fishers’ agitation surprised the government. It arguably alienated the LDF from the state’s sizeable fishing community, a crucial voting bloc, especially in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.
Fishermen reinforced by priests and parishioners went on the warpath in August 2022, citing severe livelihood and environmental concerns caused by the construction of the sea wall.
They alleged the port had made the waters dangerous and rendered fishing in coastal waters perilous. Moreover, the protestors alleged that the sea wall had destroyed traditional fish spawning grounds, aggravated beach erosion, and seriously whittled daily catch, dealing a harsh economic blow to the fishing community.
The government attempted to assuage the fishing community by promising a credible impact assessment study by independent experts to accurately assess the long-term environmental fallout of the port.
It announced a Cabinet subcommittee to address the fisher’s concerns and declared a compensation and re-housing package. The church signalled a temporary truce with the government.
Now, the church circular rekindled hopes in the Congress camp, with the party hoping the church members would vote en masse for its candidate, Sashi Tharoor.
Tharoor favoured the port construction but demanded a huge rehabilitation and compensation package for the fishing community. He and the Congress also strongly condemned the police action against agitating fish workers.
Thiruvananthapuram district Congress president Palode Ravi said the church’s move against communal forces would help the Opposition bloc INDIA in general and the Congress in particular.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
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