25-Oct-2003
{ Malayala Manorama dt. 25-Oct-2003 }
{ The New Indian Express dt. 24-Oct-2003 }
Bishops meet CM; seek action against `pro-Patriarch' officials
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A four-member delegation led by
Malankara Orthodox Bishops Dr.Yuhanon Mar Milithios and Dr.Thomas Mar Athanasius
on Thursday met Chief Minister A.K Antony and demanded action against five
officials, who, they said, had played a partisan role during the church row. The
meeting lasted for 45 minutes.
Talking to mediapersons after the meeting, the bishops said that they had
apprised the Chief Minister of their grievances. They said the Chief Minister
gave a patient hearing and agreed to look into the matter.
Thursday's meeting was a follow-up of the meeting between the church authorities
and the Chief Minister in Ernakulam on September 24, they said.
The bishops said that two RDOs, two DySPs and one Circle Inspector had favoured
the Patriarch faction in the church row in Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur
districts.
On the selection of the UDF candidate for the Tiruvalla bypoll, the bishops said
that they had not demanded to field a candidate belonging to their faction.
Of course, some priests and the laity had strong resentment against Revenue
Minister K.M.Mani as he did not listen to the grievances of the Orthodox faction
during the church row, they said.
``Mani did nothing to help us though he knew that the rival faction was creating
unnecessary problems and justice was denied to us by the officials,'' they said.
They said that the church would announce its decision on the Tiruvalla
byelection only after the Catholicos Baselius Marthoma Mathews II returned from
the foreign trip.
The Bishops also criticised UDF convener Oommen Chandy, who is a member of the
Orthodox church, for ``ignoring the grievances of the Orthodox faction''.
Fr.John Konat and John Zacharia were the other members of the delegation.
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20031023132631&Page=R&Title=Kerala&Topic=0
{ Mangalam dt. 24-Oct-2003 }
Concerned News Published earlier: