KOCHI: It is good news for dissenters in the Catholic Church in Kerala, who are not in good terms with their parish. The Catholic Priests, Ex-Priests and Nuns Association has launched ‘Rent a Priest’ service to deliver spiritual services of the faithful, who have drifted away from the parish.
“The service aims to help the Catholics who are not in good terms with their parish priests. Former priests in this association will provide spiritual services, including administering of sacraments,” said Reji Njellani, president of the association. He also claimed it as an effort to keep the faithful close to Catholic Church.
“There are a number of Catholics who are disillusioned because of the ill-treatment meted out to them by the clergy. Such Catholics do not deviate from their faith but prefer to keep away from parish. The church often denies sacraments to such dissenters. There had been incidents where the faithful were denied a decent burial, just because they have criticised the Church,” he said.
Formed in March 2015, the association has been striving to ensure social acceptance to the priests and nuns who have quit the vocation due to various reasons. The association claims to have some 200 former priests.
“The association can provide spiritual services to the faithful, who are denied services by the parish. Those who avail the service will have to bear the expenses. If they desire, they can also make a small voluntary contribution. We are also planning to launch an online platform, where the faithful can register for services,” explained Reji.
However, Fr Varghese Vallikkatt, deputy secretary of the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council, termed the ‘Rent a Priest’ service as a plan of the ex-priests to earn money. “Since ex-priests are struggling to survive after leaving priesthood, this may be an option for them to earn a living. It will not have any impact on the Catholic Church as the sacraments administered by them by are invalid as per the Church law,” he stated.