KOCHI: In an open letter, the Forum for Justice and Peace (FORUM), a collective of priests, nuns and brothers of the Catholic church, has strongly condemned the warning issued to Fr Augustine Vatolly.
The draft mentions when institutional interests of the church were hurt by governmental policies, the Church leaders had asked the priests, nuns and laity to take to the streets.
“The Church leaders justified the protests as it was defending the interests of the Church. When the members of the institution come to know of something rotten within the church, don’t they have the right to protest?” said the letter.
As long as Fr Vatolly exercised his prophetic role within the society, the Church eadership had no problem, but when he questioned the misdeeds of the leaders, he became a person who incited sedition and hatred against the church. The FORUM expressed solidarity with Fr Vatolly and requested Mar Jacob Manathodath, the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly to withdraw the warning letter.