KOCHI: Syro-Malabar Church Major Archbishop Cardinal Mar George Alencherry got a reprieve after the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church at the Vatican, gave its approval to sell two plots of land belonging to the church at Kottappady and Devikulam to restitute the loss accrued in the controversial land deal involving him.
The final decree dated January 31, 2023 also rejected the appeal filed by a group of priests of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archeparchy against the final decision of the Dicastery of the Eastern Churches on the land sale.
The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura stated that the sale of the plots and also the restitution of the loss accrued during the land deal will be done as per the civil laws of the country. The tribunal also cleared Mar Alencherry of any personal gains during the land deal.
“Those who appealed to the Dicastery have misinterpreted the communication that it had given on June 26, 2018. They have misconstrued that the Dicastery had asked Cardinal George Alencherry to make the restitution personally,” said the Tribunal.
The Dicastery gave direction to Cardinal George Alencherry to take steps for restitution of loss in his official capacity as the Archbishop of the Archeparchy, says the tribunal. “Those who spread the misinformation that the Dicastery asked Mar Alencherry to make personal restitution are to be warned and if they persist in spreading this falsity, appropriate canonical punishment is to be given,” warned the tribunal.
The tribunal concluded that the only way to complete the restitution of the loss sustained in the land deal as desired by the Apostolic See is to sell the two plots of land at Kottappady and Devikulam for the price approved by the permanent synod. The loss incurred by the Archeparchy of Ernakulam in the land deal has been calculated as Rs 24.62 crore (Rs 8.84 crore as the principal amount and 9.5% as interest). The tribunal instructed the College of Consultors and Finance Council to cooperate with the sale of the two plots to complete the restitution of loss.
The tribunal added, “All priests and lay persons, especially the members of the canonical bodies are to avoid public outbursts. Those who refuse to accept even after admonition are to be punished as per ecclesiastical discipline.”
“It is hoped that this decree of the Supreme Tribunal will clarify many of the doubts of the faithful since a lot of false propaganda is being spread to tarnish the image of the Syro-Malabar Church and the Major Archbishop in public,” said the decree.