Syro-Malabar Church rebukes CPI-M: “No party can dictate whom we thank or criticize”

The Syro-Malabar Church on Saturday strongly criticized the CPI-M, accusing the Left party of targeting Thalassery Archbishop Joseph Pampalany for thanking Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the release of Catholic nuns imprisoned in Chhattisgarh.

In a statement, the Church said remarks made by CPI-M state Secretary MV Govindan and other Left leaders against Archbishop Pampalany were “irresponsible, misleading, and disturbing.”

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The Church clarified that the Archbishop had only expressed gratitude to those who supported the Church during the recent Chhattisgarh incident, where two Kerala nuns were arrested on charges of religious conversion.

“Archbishop Pampalany’s words of thanks were twisted and presented as though he was shielding a political party. This is a deliberate attempt to attack him in front of society,” the statement said, stressing that the Church has no allegiance to any political party.

The Syro-Malabar Church reiterated that its positions are based solely on issues, guided by moral and social principles. “Our practice has always been to call out what is wrong and appreciate what is right, irrespective of who is responsible,” the statement added.

“If someone does something wrong, we say it is wrong. If someone does right, we say it is right. No political party has the authority to dictate to us whom we should thank or whom we should criticize,” it further stated.

The Church also warned that attempts to attack or isolate Archbishop Pampalany were “unacceptable” and would only create “unnecessary misunderstanding and unrest.”

The controversy began after Pampalany thanked Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi for intervening in the Chhattisgarh case. CPI-M leaders accused him of indirectly endorsing the BJP.

At an NGO Union meeting in Taliparamba, Kannur, CPI-M state secretary M.V. Govindan alleged that Pampalany frequently shifted his political stance.

“When the nuns were arrested in Chhattisgarh, he spoke out against the BJP. When bail was granted, he praised Amit Shah and others. Priests even went with cake. With such mood swings, neither Christians, Muslims nor Communists will be saved,” Govindan said.

Meanwhile, the two Kerala nuns arrested in Chhattisgarh last month—Sisters Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI)—met BJP Kerala state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar at his Delhi residence on Saturday, accompanied by their relatives.