Priests approach Police panel, Church says creating law and order issues punishable

As a group of 21 priests submitted complaints to the Police Complaints Authority on Saturday (January 18, 2025) against their rough treatment by the police on January 11, the Syro-Malabar Media Commission said that creating a law and order problem is punishable.

The priests, opposing a synod diktat on unified mass, claimed that the police, treated them roughly and asked them to go out of the Archbishop’s House in the early houses of January 11. They were roughly handled by the police led by two officers and verbally abused, said the priests’ complaint.

At the same time, the Syro-Malabar Media Commission claimed that a group of priests, understanding that their demands were not legally sustainable, engaged in a conspiracy to achieve their goals by any means, resulting in the ‘drama’ of a ‘seizure’ of the Archbishop’s House. The priests violated law and order and challenged the police and the police meticulously evacuated the clergy from the Archbishop’s house as part of their duties.

The Church media commission claimed that some priests, who did not even sustain minor injuries, were showcased in the Basilica courtyard without medical examination, trying to inflame the emotions of ordinary people and put pressure on the police and district administration to meet their demands.

The medica commission also described as a cunning strategy that nuns, who had taken the vow of obedience, joined the clergy in the illegal activities but failed miserably. These incidents did nothing but diminish public respect for nuns and clergy, the statement said.

“It is profoundly sad and shameful for the Church that some newly ordained priests were involved in breaking the gates of the Archeparchial centre”, the media commission claimed.

The 21 priests, who claimed that some of their colleagues were seriously injured in the police action, had submitted their complaints to the state Human Rights Commission highlighting their grievances.

Among the priests, who submitted their complaints to the police panel are Frs. Sebastian Thalian, Paul Chittilappally, Jerry Njaliath and Rajan Punnakkal.