Thiruvananthapuram Archbishop (Latin rite) Soosa Pakiam M. has come out against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, terming it discriminatory.
Discrimination against anyone in a democratic and secular country like India was unacceptable, the Archbishop said at a press conference here on Wednesday.
He said the Act was against the Constitution and secular values, and it was perceived that it did not bode well for the country. There was widespread concern that the Government could go to any extent, using the majority of the ruling front in Parliament. The Union Government would be apprised of the opposition to the Act whenever an opportunity arose, he said.
Church row
On the row between the Jacobite and Orthodox factions of the Malankara Church, Mr. Soosa Pakiam said the other Christian denominations were not favouring any one group. The effort was to resolve the stand-off without taking sides. Both the factions should come together on their own accord to resolve their differences, the Archbishop said.
Sr. Kalappura’s book
Asked about Sr. Lucy Kalappura’s memoir, he said he had not read the book, and was unfamiliar with the circumstances behind it. “Like society, there could be problems within the Church. Those who did wrong should be punished. However, it should not be used to show the Church in a bad light.”
Earlier, he spoke of the message of Christmas to not ignore or neglect anyone and take into consideration everyone. One should be guided by the thought that others were better than us, he said.
