The past 30-odd days, ending July 8, would have been topsy-turvy for the casual Kerala-watchers, though not so for the nuanced many. From manic football fans celebrating Russian World Cup in Kerala, right up to a youth ending his life over Argentina’s exit, to a slew of sex-obsessed priests coming out of the church woodwork, with women, both nuns and the laity, finally deciding to seek salvation in the legal system, it couldn’t possibly get more bizarre.
Add to that the macabre killing of a student on a college campus over wall graffiti, followed by the ensuing political impasse over finding the killers and picture is complete.
Sure, Kerala is a consumer state. But when it comes to information, by way of news be it breaking stuff, analysis or elaborate features, no matter the vertical — online, TV or print — the appetite for consumption is enormous. Perhaps, this is one area where Malayalees show a marked preference for the Made In Kerala tag. Because, none of the other items of high consumption, be it automobiles, white goods or lifestyle gadgets, is made in Kerala.
No other state in India would have witnessed the frenzy over the World Cup football which had escalated to a level where it is guesstimated that over Rs 500 crore got spent in the past couple of weeks. Much of the money has gone towards erecting giant flex boards right across the state, painting vehicles and even houses in the national colours of Latin American countries, customising restaurants and, of course, the sale of football accessories.
Not so sporting has been the behaviour of four priests belonging to the Orthodox Church who have been slapped with rape charges. Initially, there were five priests who were suspended by the Church, but when a case got registered by the state police following the intervention of the National Commission for Women, there was one less. On Wednesday, the High Court turned down their anticipatory bail plea. On Thursday, Fr Job Mathew, charged with using confession details to force sex with the complainant, surrendered before the police. And on Friday, Fr Johnson V Mathew was arrested. Strangely, the issue was forced by the woman’s husband, who broke the news to the media following what he alleged was a reluctance to act by the Church.
The priests have been forced to use as their defence argument, ‘No rape, only consensual sex’. All of them are married as is the woman and this comes at a time when the Central government is defending Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code which makes adultery a punishable offence, though only for men. Suddenly, religious values and ethos have become eminently negotiable instruments, perhaps a culmination of priesthood becoming just another job, a career choice sometimes driven by economic considerations rather than doing God’s ministry. For, a priest belonging to any major denomination takes home a decent monthly package by way of salary, in some cases paid by the church and in others by the laity. The perks by way of purse for conducting baptisms, marriages and funerals, are considerable and there is a thick send-off wallet every three years, which is the tenure of each posting.
Roughly around the same time, Franco Mullackal, Bishop of the Jalandhar Latin Diocese, but originally from the Syro Malabar Catholic Church, was slapped with a rape and harassment case by a nun from the same sect. She, too, appears to have lost faith in the willingness of the church to set things right and has turned to the law of the land. There may be some distance to go before an arrest happens but things do not appear too rosy for the Bishop right now. Sure, there are still a number of priests who make it a mission to be God’s representatives on earth. But, their number has been dwindling over the years.
For the Malayali community, used in the past only to the occasional rape case involving people holding positions of respect, this flurry of cases against priests has come as a rude shock. And not particularly known for their sangfroid, the community is venting their ire, often with a liberal dose of vitriol, by way of trolls, memes and plain Malluspeak, on the social media platforms. And for many, all this was more engaging than #BRABEL, #ARGCRO or even #BELENG and #FRACRO.
Vinod Mathew
Resident Editor, Kerala
Email: vinodmathew@newindianexpress.com