Bangalore, May 3: A delegation of Federation of Karnataka Christians and Catholics Association led by its President T J Abraham, comprising Catholic leaders of different linguistic groups of Kannadigas, Malayalis and Konkanis, met His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias and demanded that steps for the Excommunication of the priests of Karnataka Catholikara Yajakara Balaga for their ''unchristian conduct and behaviour."

The FKCCA delegation, comprising Ida D’Cunha, Chairperson of Federation of Konkani Catholic Associations, Edwin Stephan D’Souza, Dolphy D’Cunha, Richard D’Souza, Edward D’Souza, Grace Lobo and others, met Cardinal Gracias, at St John’s National Academy of Medical Sciences, where he had come to attend a meeting of the Bishops as the President of Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) on Saturday.

Presenting a detailed memorandum on the objectionable and unchristian activities, conduct and behaviour of the Balaga Priests, Abraham apprised the CCBI President that the priests were ''making use of the language issue as a mask to cover up their illegal activities, which include the running of a private School by a Priest, who is the President of the Balaga, and another Priest, who has been charged with rape and another priest/leader, who has been having an affair with a lady and living with her in absolute public knowledge."

''We have demanded that the Church authorities initiate proceedings to get all these priests excommunicate from the Church for their anti-church activities. We have also informed him that we would not hesitate to go up to Rome if necessary to get these priests excommunicated in the interest of the church," Abraham said.

He said the CCBI President patiently heard them and promised to give due consideration to the points raised in the memorandum and take suitable decisions in the interests of the Church and justice.

Abraham, who is known as an anti-corruption activist, in the memorandum submitted to Cardinal Gracias expressed ''deep sense of regret and distress at having to submit this representation on some of the burning issues pertaining to the Archdiocese of Bangalore, especially the “un-Christian" activities of some of our own consecrated priests, along with some lay persons and sincerely request that the points raised by us after serious thought and deliberations be given serious consideration and acted upon immediately in the interests of maintaining the Unity, Dignity and Sanctity of the Church, as also to instill the faith and confidence in our faithful."

He pointed out that a similar memorandum was submitted to the Archbishop of Bangalore Most Rev Dr Bernard Moras on April 12 and claimed that the Archbishop has ''not acted on it till date" and explained that the FKCCA was compelled to draw his attention as President of CCBI as the matter ''deserves to be taken up at the earliest in the interest of the Catholic church in Bangalore and Karnataka." 

The memorandum drew attention of Cardinal Gracias the sense of unease, concern and anxiety of Catholics over the ''gruesome and most brutal murder of a highly scholarly, erudite, peace-loving, well-respected and mild priest like Rev Fr K J Thomas, the Rector of the St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Bangalore, on the midnight of March 31-April 1, 2013, within the precincts of the Seminary itself and the subsequent arrests of three persons, including 2 priests Fr William Patrick, Parish Priest of Kengeri Church and Balaga Secretary, and Fr Elias Daniel of the Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCD), and Peter, a lay accomplice on March 21, 2014.

The FKCCA memorandum pointed out that some of the priests and lay persons addressed a press conference on the very next day of arrests on March 22, 2014 and made outlandish and evidently unfounded claims in public, that the 3 arrested persons were ''totally innocent" and that they had been ''falsely implicated and even framed." 

''These priests went to the extent of claiming and blaming without producing any shred of evidence that Archbishop of Bangalore, Most Rev Dr Bernard Moras, State Home Minister K J George, and the former DCP Victor D’Souza, who had retired from service on February 28, 2014 of ''hatching a conspiracy" to pin the blame for the murder of Fr K J Thomas on the 3 ''innocent persons" to them," it said.

The memorandum named the ring leaders of the Balaga: Fr Chalkere Chowrappa Selvaraj (Chasara), Parish Priest of St Joseph’s Church in Chamarajpet, Fr A Thomas, Parish Priest of Kristha Karunalaya Church Jaraganahalli, Kanakapura Road and also the Principal/trustee of Christ School, Marianapalya Road, Kaglipura, privately owned and run by his own Carmel Seva Sangam Trust, Mariapura and Fr S Bartholomew, Parish Priest of Parish Priest of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Tumkur, and Fr Fathiraj, who are main trouble-makers in the Archdiocese of Bangalore, for their own selfish reasons and ulterior motives of gaining positions for themselves or their supporters, including some of the silent and behind-the-scene kingpins, who are angling for key Ecclesiastical positions in the Archdiocese, who have been spearheading the anti-Catholic trouble in the Archdiocese. 

 

The other priests actively involved in the Balaga and anti-Christian activities are: Fr Arulappa L, Manager & Correspondent St. Aloysius Educational Institutions, Sarvajna Nagara, Fr Antappa, Archbishop's House, Fr J Sandyagu, Administrator, St Mary's Minor Basilica Church Shivajinagar, Bengaluru, Fr Francis Xavier J, also from St Mary’s Basillica, Fr Balaraj J, Parish Priest, St Pius X Church, St Thomas Town Post, Fr Balraj R, Parish Priest, St Joseph's Church, Channapatna, Ramanagar District, Fr Peter C, Assistant Administrator, Legal, Rent and Property, Archbishop's House, and Fr. James Prabhu, Parish Priest, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Mariapura, Thattuguppe Post.

''The Kannada Catholicara Yajakara Balaga (Association of Kannada Catholic Priests), have been causing trouble in the Archdiocese since the last several years and 2 of the three arrested persons – Fr William Patrick, who is the Secretary of this Balaga or Association, and Fr Elias Daniel, key activist, with Fr A Thomas as the President and Fr Chalkere Chowrappa Selvaraj (Chasara), who are behind the so-called agitation, pretending that it is meant for gaining primacy for the Kannada language in the liturgical celebrations, only to misguide people and shamelessly causing violent protests and law and order problems in several churches, including the Christ the King Church, Yeshwanthpur, which is adjoining the St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, by going to the extent of pouring acid on the then Parish Priest, Fr Lawrence Noronha, obstructing Holy Eucharist at St John the Baptist Church, Vijayanagar, and physically assaulting and attacking Fr C Jacob, a Kannadiga priest, while celebrating the ''Holy Mass" in Kannada, in the St Mary’s Church at Hegde Nagar and several other churches over the past several years, especially and intentionally during the Holy Week Liturgical celebrations preceding Easter or Christmas celebrations," it said.

These people are creating an impression that the whole episode is against the Anti-Kannadiga attitude of the church authorities and aimed at fighting actions/moves that are intended to suppress the demands of Kannada speaking Catholics in Karnataka. This is absolutely false and fabricated, only to misguide and fool the Kannada speaking Catholics’ in Karnataka and make Catholics in Karnataka feel frustrated and disgusted with the Catholic Church itself. We have reliably learnt that it is a conspiracy to intentionally create an unhealthy atmosphere in the Catholic Church and also to divert the attention away from the actual issue only to save the culprits in the murder case, the FKCCA claimed.

The memorandum also gave details of receipt and misuse of huge foreign funds ostensibly in the name of ''Maintenance of Priests/other religious functionaries" by some of the Priests belonging to the Balaga and informed Cardinal Gracias that details with evidence had been provided to the authorities concerned for proper and suitable investigation.

The FKCCA delegation appealed to the CCBI President Cardinal Gracias that the ''arrested priests as well as their main supporters, especially the ring leaders and the others mentioned in the memorandum must be Excommunicated from the Catholic Church under the provisions of the Canon Law forthwith, as they are guilty of willfully violating and deliberately flouting their solemn religious vows of obedience and loyalty to the Ecclesiastical superiors. Some of the above-mentioned priests are guilty of violating the Sixth and Ninth Commandments that forbid killing or bearing false witness, which are consequently sufficient grounds for their automatic excommunication."