The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep (Matthew 20:25-28)

Here a Shepherd Waging a War on His Flock

There is a saying in Malayalam, “A mother-in-law will suffer the death of her son to see the tears of her daughter-in-law”. Sadly, the same is the attitude of Bishop Kuruvilla. He doesn’t mind even disturbing worship services on Sundays to make his power and authority prevail. He refuses to recognize that his authority derives from the Gospel mandate –“Feed my sheep” and the CSI constitution. customs of the Church, those being named and defined in the later chapters of the Constitution.” (Ch.2/11a). What we have is a “constitutional episcopate”.

Rev V L Micheal trying to intrude with the help of police

 The events happening in the two parishes of Kalamassery and Elamkulam during the last few months have been highly revealing of the Bishop’s understanding of his Pastoral responsibilities. Sorry to say that he thinks in terms of power and authority and exercising of it in worldly terms, instead of following the Good Shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Rev. P. J. Jacob has completed only one year as vicar of the All Saints Church, Kalamassery. What was the compulsion to enforce a premature transfer? He is the only person who knows the details of the dubious land deals in Fort Kochi and has resisted it. It is very obvious that his transfer is vindictive. But, he is loved and respected by his congregation for the kind of pastoral leadership he has been rendering. They are solidly behind him whatever may come.

Bishop K P Kuruvilla

Elamkulam has been suffering for the past many years due to lack of adequate pastoral care. Hence, they were awaiting the posting of a pastor who can be a good shepherd to them. But then, the bishop’s priorities were different; he treated transfers as opportunities to doll out favors to his chamchas , who would do any mean job for him. It is learned that Bishop is eyeing on a piece of property in Thiruvankulam which belongs to Christ Church and the fixed deposits of the Elamkulam church. So he wants a pastor who will act according to his dictates and designs. Bishop Kuruvilla has agreed to the pastorate committee in November 2009, that the frequent transfer of pastors from Elamkulam will not be repeated and a minimum of three years will be provided to the pastor. Instead of keeping the promise or discussing the matter with the concerned, transfer orders were issued to the lone pastor in arbitrary manner, violating the constitution. They requested that the available pastor will be allowed to continue till he completes his term of three years. But he ignored the promise and the pastor became the victim of his personal grudge. On enquiry by the pastorate committee, the reply was quite highly arrogant. The Elamkulam congregation has made only one request to the bishop that Rev. Thomas Korah should not be transferred to their parish for reasons obvious to both parties. Not only that the Bishop did not pay heed to their representation but reacted with disdain and in fact abused the elders from these churches who went to meet him. What he wanted from them is obedience to “ecclesiastical authority”. The Bishop never cared to evolve a negotiated settlement considering the sentiments of the congregation and the very sensitive personal difficulties of the pastors. If that is the situation, what is the need for a pastor, who believes only in “lording over” and oppressing the flock?

This is the context in which that the congregations themselves went to the court against the transfers of their pastors.  Even when there was an injunction from the Hon. Munsiff court in favor of the congregation, the bishop was insistent that he would send his pastors to take over the parishes and conduct services against the advice of the police. This had provoked the police and they deployed a large contingent of force at Eloor, Kalamassery and Elamkulam anticipating law and order problems.

When this has failed, now he is out to divide the pastors and make them fight each other. Unfortunately some of the pastors prefer to be pawns in the hands of the bishop, rather than standing up to safe guard their dignity and Christian witness. Rev. Michael and Rev. Thomas Korah got injunctions, at the instance of the bishop, restraining Rev. P.J.Jacob and Rev. Praise Thyparambil respectively from entering the church and also preventing them from conducting worship services in these parishes. But the Pastorate committees exercised their rightful authority to restrain the pastors from entering the church, especially when the very legitimacy of the transfer is under the scrutiny of the Hon. District Court of Ernakulam.

Hope the bishop would realize that his authority derives from the CSI constitution and the constitution of this country and he cannot violate them with impunity.  The CSI constitution, Chapter 2/9 reads, “---every pastorate shall have general administrative authority within its area, shall have certain responsibilities in Church discipline and shall have an opportunity of expressing its judgment both as to the appointment of its pastor and selection of candidates for ordination from that pastorate.”

When a bishop submits an affidavit in a court of law, we expect integrity and truthfulness in the statement that he makes both in terms of language and content. Sadly that is missing in his affidavits. It is learned that he has sworn several times in various courts that there are no norms with regard to transfer of presbyters. Having no norms would lead to arbitrariness, vindictiveness and nepotism. It is obvious that the bishop has been using the “power” of transfer for controlling pastors and subverting any form of criticism or protest.

Now it has come to light that in the North Kerala Diocese, there are norms with regard to transfer of presbyters. The norms laid down by the Executive Committee states that a pastor shall be allowed to continue in a parish for three to five years in general. This resolution was passed in the Executive Committee of 12/02/2001 with an advice to the Pastoral and Ministerial Committee to endorse the same. The Pastoral and Ministerial Committee, met on 27/02/2001, ratified accepted the decision of the EC. The relevant extracts of the minutes are appended*. Bishop Kuruvilla cannot continue as an ecclesiastical functionary making statements which are obviously false and meant to subvert justice.

The bishop cannot treat people in the pew like dirt. All this drama had taken place when the lectionary for the Sunday (25/07/2010) was “Pastoral Ministry of the Church.” Nobody can command respect and it is to be earned; it can be earned only by respecting even the smallest person in the pew. Episcopal authority and Cannon Law are old stories. We are living in a democratic country and the constitution of CSI reflects this democratic aspiration and ethos which is actually a product of reformation and enlightenment. But it seems that Bishop Kuruvilla still lives in the middle ages. He should better take lessons from these verses from Acts of the Apostles and 1. Peter:

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” (Acts 20: 28)

“Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” (1 Peter 5: 2-4)

The shepherd is for the flock, which Jesus bought with his own blood. The congregation should be at the center of the life of the church and not the bishops and presbyters. That is our reformed and protestant ethos. We do not believe in the inerrancy of the bishops. We do not believe in an episcopacy that is “greedy for money” and “Lording it over”. We cannot allow our properties and goodwill offerings to be squandered betraying the trust reposed on them. Imagine a bishop waging a war on his flock! This is the sad predicament in which we find ourselves. We have been forced to make these decisions and they have never been easy. We know that there is no winner or loser in this battle; what will be lost are our Christian witness and our mission to a suffering world. But we cannot be indifferent or neutral.

We still pray that good sense will prevail and we may be able to find an amicable settlement. While the matter of the transfer is still pending before the court, the bishop has already proceeded with the constitution of a diocesan court, suspending Rev. P. J. Jacob and Rev. Praise Thayparambil, the validity of which is again questionable. There was status co order from the honorable munsiff court from 24th April to 12 July and the so called suspension orders were issued on 30th June revealing his contempt to the judicial system of the country. The suspension order will not stand in the eyes of the law the funning thing is that, the suspension order is yet to be served to both the pastors.   They had no other choice other than to obey the secular court and they did it on our behest.  We will not let them down. We believe that there is a God who watches over his flock and whatever we do at this time, with all the human frailties, be raised up and “redeemed” for the glory of God and the reformation and renewal of His Body, the church.



Requesting your prayers,

Pastorate committee,

Christ Church, Elamkulam.

All Saints CSI Church Kalamassery

Appendix

 

North Kerala Diocese

Church Of South India

Minutes of the Executive Committee met on 13-02-2001

EC 34/2001 Term of Service of Pastors and Church Workers

• Resolved to suggest to the pastoral and Ministerial Committee that the term of service of pastors and Church Workers in Parishes might be 3 years in general.

Minutes of the pastoral committee this was met on 27-02-2001 PMC 30/2001(4) – 

• As per the suggestions of the Executive committee, pastors and Church workers will be in one station 3-5 years in general.

Bishop Kuruvilla Crumbles

The faithful of the Elamkulam CSI Christ Church at Ernakulam and All Saints Church at Kalamassery gave a befitting reply to Bishop Kuruvilla’s Authoritarian, arrogant, and unconstitutional exercises. The clergy men who are nothing but pawns in Bishops game plan had to disgracefully retreat from entering the respective churches, against the will of the congregation. - click read more and watch the video to know more on the Issue.

Click on the News to zoom the image

Click on the News to zoom the image

The Great Betrayal

(An open letter to the moderator of Church of South India, the Most Rev. Vasanthakumar)

Dear Bishop Vasanthakumar,

I am sure that you are very well aware of the increasing allegations of corruption and mismanagement of CSI church properties and institutions, financial misappropriation, alienation of valuable assets and the civil and criminal litigations associated with them, which mar the image of CSI and blunt the Christian witness of the church.

Of course some of it can be brushed aside as concocted to defame the Bishops and the church. But, some of the damaging judgements of the various courts cannot just be ignored. Actual experience of many of us who have stumbled upon some of the instances of sale of church properties and fraudulent registration of sale deeds and the connivance of the CSITA in all these lend us to believe that much of the allegations are not without substance.

Those who go to court cases spending money from their own pockets will not resort to such measures unless they are convinced of the legitimacy of their suits. But the church leadership do not have such compulsions; they are spending mind boggling sums from the Diocesan coffers, funds of CSITA, contributed in good faith by the faithful to defend themselves in criminal and civil suits pending against them, which they could have most often settled out of court, if they were particular to maintain a sheep-shepherd relationship.
Can the Bishops, who are envisaged by the CSI constitution to be “good shepherds”, not find a way of resolving some of these issues amicably and out of court, if there is no factual basis for these allegations and court cases, convincing the opponents rather than resorting to such drastic means of summarily removing them from the full privileged membership of the Church- a nice rhetorical twist for excommunication? I don’t have to labour much to drive home the spiritual and moral bankruptcy of the episcopate in the church of CSI and the irresponsible behaviour of the CSITA- misappropriation of Tsunami Funds of American Episcopal Church and the consequent arrest or disappearance of key former officials of the CSI, arrest of the bishop of the Coimbattoor Diocese, Manickka Durai on misappropriation of church funds and not complying with court summons, strong strictures against the Bishop of Madras Diocese, pending cases against you in Bangalore courts on the alleged transfer of funds from Bishop Cotton Schools to your personal account and the many indictments of the courts in AP against the former moderator of CSI, Bishop Suganthar, which would shame anybody with a basic sense of decency.

Now, a series of court cases, two of them for criminal investigation, have been initiated against Bishop Kuruvilla of the North Kerala Diocese. A Scheme petition has also been filed against the CSITA, pained by the reality of how Bishops, particularly Bishop Kuruvilla, alienate valuable church properties in prime locations, bequeathed to us by missionaries for evangelistic purposes, for a pittance causing heavy loss to CSITA and the silent and irresponsible and often active connivance of CSITA in all these land dealings. Before the dark and stinking inside of these “white-washed tombs” is uncovered, it is important to highlight the root causes of this malaise which is corroding the vitals of our church leaving it an empty shell devoid of Christian witness and mission.

1. Episcopacy has gone out of control and has accrued to itself powers and privileges it should not have as per the constitution and against the understanding and convictions of those who had laboured for the union- the miracle of CSI. What makes the CSI such a unique event in the ecumenical movement is the fact that it is a union of non-Episcopal denominations represented by the SIUC and the Episcopal denomination- the Anglican Church. The worst fears of the non-Episcopal faction of the negotiators was that of the Episcopacy becoming a “monarchical Episcopacy” given the realities of an authoritarian, feudal and caste ridden social and cultural milieu. Those fears have come true and we face the consequence of it. Democracy and constitution have been reduced to a sham and a mafia group in the Church, in connivance with the bishops, alienates valuable church properties through fraudulent land transactions, leases them out for long periods for a paltry sum, rigs and manipulates elections, and makes a mockery of all democratic processes by threats, inducements, and social, political, and economic power.
The Bishops shamelessly and arbitrarily exercise their authority, without any regard for the constitution of the CSI and the procedures stipulated in them, excommunicate those who oppose and resist their nefarious designs. Under a mystic of sacred power, and also using their social and economic clout, they subjugate and silence the majority of the congregation and “lord over the sheep” that was given to their care. Bishoprics are today a lucrative position; the hotly contested elections for Bishopric and the changing hands of big money during the election for bishopric and synod offices and the wheeling and dealing associated with them all attest this shameful side of what takes place in the precincts of what is considered to be holy.

2. This is further promoted by a rising middle class, fed on a diet of personal piety and prosperity gospel, who are insensitive to moral questions of justice and fair play, and are only interested in remaining in the good books of the powers that be and take maximum advantage of the available material opportunities within the church for the advancement of their parochial and selfish interests. They turn a blind eye to the realities around them and refuse to rock the boat. CSI today lacks the kind leadership, that is theologically informed, upright, educated, intelligent and with good social standing, characteristic of our lay leadership in the high offices of our church, in the yester years. This, while showing a general degeneration in values of our society across the board and a rising religiosity that has nothing to do with moral living and only interested in making available God’s “power” for one’s own self-aggrandizement, is particularly reflective of the kind of low level pastoral care, Christian education and lack of Christian nurture and our failure to attract independent thinking young people into the fold of the church. The low level of interest in the length and breadth of the laity in the affairs of the church is leading to a situation where the management of the church is left to a scum of goons and profiteers who play second fiddle to the Bishops.

3. There is a general lack of knowledge of the unique history of our church, particularly its reformed and protestant history and the unique characteristics of democratic form of church polity, “priesthood of the laity” and the commitment for re-ordering of our social and economic life according to kingdom values and of the constitution of the church of South India and its management of church properties through the instrumentalities of CSITA. CSI is a church that represents the unique histories of protest against a hierarchically ordered, exploitative and oppressive priesthood and the associated reforms not only of church but also the then existing society. Hence, democratic form of administration, respecting the voices of dissent and protest and putting up with associated delay is germane to our church polity.
Moreover, while CSI church is an amorphous reality, every subscribing member of CSI is acknowledged as a member of the CSITA, a company registered under the company’s Act, and as such, he or she has certain rights and privileges of knowing how the board of trustees manage the properties he or she has entrusted to them in good faith. That is, the members of CSI cannot be just treated as objects of mercy of the bishops and presbyters but rather they are the rightful owners and subjects, who should be treated with appropriate dignity and honour that rightly belongs to them. But it is sad that the laity should remind the bishops of Jesus’ injunction as to how those who regard as greatest should conduct themselves:
“The Kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so among you; rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.” (Luke 22. 25-26)

4. The CSI has failed miserably to continue its missionary legacy and protect the institutions and properties bequeathed to us by the missionaries. Unlike the indigenous Christian Community in India, the Syrian Christians, who traces their history back to AD 52, and remained an exclusive community, we trace our history to the missionaries of the 18th century and their reaching out to the most vulnerable sections of Indian society with the gospel message of liberation and their efforts to spread God’s love through an inclusive and humanistic educational medium. This was also reflected in their efforts to integrate people divided across caste lines and turn mission compounds into model communities where gospel values were lived out. They also invested their energy in finding a means of livelihood for them through industrial establishments, with imported technology from Germany and Britain. Their contribution to the literature and culture of their respective areas of mission are admired even today by secular historians.
The early Indian leadership of the union negotiations and the nascent church were people with extra-ordinary ability and commitment who shared this concern for mission. The World Missionary Conference of Edinburgh 1910, the centenary of which was celebrated recently, was a watershed in the history of the union of Church of South India, providing it with a sense of urgency and obligation. The spirit of the Conference was driven by the watchword of the Protestant Christian Missionary community at the time: "The Evangelization of the World in This Generation." A call to unity for mission expressed by the conference had its echo in the Indian Christian leadership like late Bishop V.S. Azariah and it was their committed and tireless striving for unity for mission that morphed into the church of South India in 1947. That sense of mission has become today a thing of the past; and in its place what we witness is a total neglect of our rural congregations, lack of any mission outreach, neglect of the large number of educational institutions which were considered ones the main agency for evangelization, and starting of new money spinning self-financing medical, engineering, dental, nursing, B. Ed and such other colleges. These self-financing institutions, where money changes hands illegally as capitation fee, provide a climate conducive for large scale corruption and politician-priest-mafia nexus and their criminal arrogation of money and power. The Church of South India has become irretrievably part of this moral corruption.

5. Each diocese is a fiefdom which functions without accountability to a larger whole. There is nobody from below or above that can make a bishop accountable. Opposition or criticism from the clergy or anybody working in any of the church institution will be met with transfer and disciplinary proceedings. There is no legitimate and credible system of grievance redress mechanism. In a system where the bishop, who is charged with corruption, sits in judgement over the poor lay person who represented it, what justice can be credibly expected? What meaning is there in seeking internal remedy? Does the moderator has any power or will he ever exercise it against a bishop? Is there a history of any proceedings against a bishop? What if the moderator himself is the culprit?
A few years ago, a former moderator of CSI, the Most Rev. K. J. Samuel, and another bishop who later became the moderator of CSI, the Most Rev. J. W. Gladstone, laid their hands on a layman, and consecrated him a bishop, against all the procedures clearly laid down in our constitution. What happened to them? The Rt. Rev. J. W. Gladstone later became the moderator. But if a poor soul takes a second baptism, he is excommunicated from the church. In recent history, the Former General Secretary, Pauline Sathyamurthi, her husband, her daughter and a relative were charged with the misuse of Tsunami funds donated by the American Episcopal Church to the tune 7 crores. This could not have happened without the criminal collusion of other officers of the Synod. The present synod leadership is understood to be involved in a cover up to protect the culprits.

6. “Church of South India Trust Association” (CSITA) was created in the year of 1947 to manage the properties of the churches which have joined to become “The Church of South India”. However, regret to say that the CSITA has not been protecting the properties but has liberally and deliberately been giving post approvals for the illegal sale of large scale properties in various places. It is acting in criminal collusion with the other actors in the drama of alienating CSI church properties. What is happening today is that the officers of the synod, who collaborate in corrupt practices, transform themselves into the CSITA Managing Committee and legitimize and ratify many of the illegal and fraudulent land transactions. This sort of CSITA cannot be trusted with our valuable property. Umpteen examples can be sighted to substantiate this. Let me reproduce something that has already been shared in the web: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/church-of-south-india-properties.html and involving none other than the former moderator of CSI and the Chairman of the CSITA.

The Hon’ble judge at Siddipet City Civil Court observed in I.A. No 133/1993 in OS No.32/1993 as follows:
“Thus when the Respondent No.1 (Rev. B.P.Sugandhar) as Presbyter had resorted to wholesale such financial irregularities entrusting him with job of Bishop and asking him to manage the entire diocese of Medak where crores of rupees of property to be managed by him, there is every possibility of the church properties being squandered in the hands of Respondent No.1 as Bishop. In Christianity the Bishop is spiritual head of the Diocese and he should be an ideal for the community people. If he himself is not a person of virtues and had proven record of unchaste behaviour and questionable character and having doubtful integrity, he should not be permitted to hold office for a day”.
This case is still pending in Secunderabad City Civil Court. This observation has not been set-a-side by any higher Court. The City Criminal Court Nampally, Hyderabad in a case No. Crl.M.P.No. 1436/95 in S.R.No.1735/1995 against Rev.B.P.Sugandhar and others has observed as follows in regard to illegally appointments of Staff.

“The grievance of the Complaint as well as his witnesses is that by committing illegal acts the Accused No.1 (Rev. B.P. Sugandhar) and Accused No. 2 tarnished the image of high office of Bishop and also Christian Community. I am of the opinion that the complainant should have approached the church authorities or Forums which have elected Accused-1 (Rev.B.P Sugandhar) and Accused -2 their respective offices for their REMOVAL”.

This observation has not been challenged by the Accused (B.P Sugandhar) and the case was dismissed for want of jurisdiction. Regarding Dichpally lands, it was gifted by B.P. Sugandhar to a society of which he is himself the Chairman. Thus the donor and the Donee is the same. Vide gift deed No.3135/1999.
Recently, the CSITA Managing Committee has ratified a land transaction entered into by Bishop Kuruvilla of the North Kerala Diocese without power of attorney, without any decision by the Property Committee or the Executive Committee, and without following the norms given in the CSITA manual and against the very explicit directive from the then deputy secretary of the CSITA that the land should not be alienated. The Bishop Kuruvilla is also a party in the same transaction to creating a forged land deed in which, while the total sale amount is 2.73 crores, the amount shown in the stamp paper is only 95 lakhs. If he can cheat the state exchequer to the mutual benefit of the parties involved in this land deal, he can also cheat the CSITA. Criminal proceedings have been initiated in this matter.
All these realities leave us with no choice except to take up the whip and cleanse the “temple” of those who buy and sell, the money changers, and those exploit the credulity of people for pecuniary benefit, to recover the witness and mission of the church. CSITA should be dissolved and a more democratic, autonomous, accountable and legal trusteeship arrangement should be formed to protect our properties and manage our institutions free of corruption and malpractice. Ultimately, this is to recover the essence of our being the true followers of Jesus Christ, transcending middle class respectability and hypocrisy and to commit ourselves to a costly following of Jesus Christ.
If any conscience is left in you, and if it has not been hardened to the point of total moral degradation, then, you can act on the following:
• You can call your fellow bishops, the episcopal hierarchy to repentance and restore the episcopate within a constitutional frame work.
• You can reconstitute and restructure the CSITA, with due consultation with eminent company lawyers, so that it functions as true trustees and not as “thieves”.
• You can call a moratorium to all land deals and such transactions and developmental activities on church lands till such legitimate trusteeship arrangements are made
• You can dust old reports from several reform commissions and find ways to reform the constitution and life the CSI in the light of our experience over the past 6 decades.
• You can constitute viable, just and autonomous structures for seeking internal remedy that would ensure that the justice is meted out to the church members and its employees. You can remind yourselves, as shepherds, to follow the Great Shepherd, who left the 99 and seek after the one that was lost and even gave his life for the sheep.
• You can also call a meeting of all those “disgruntled elements”, who are a head ache to you and give them a patient hearing and then, find a way to sort out their grievances in a manner that will restore the mission and witness of the church.

So, you can at this time rise to the occasion and show that you are a “good shepherd” and show true statesmanship or you can continue to be arrogant and cantankerous and unrepentant. We know that the moderator and the bishops of CSI can employ the costliest advocates in the bar. They can spend enormous sum in protracted legal battle. They can pretend that they have not seen or heard any of the protests. They can take cudgels against many souls in the name of not seeking “internal remedy” and “excommunicate” them from full privilege membership and make mockery of CSI constitution. You can escape behind the mystic of divine power and hood wink the gullible for some time. You can use money and muscle power to silence the voice of dissent. You can buy politicians and bureaucrats of all hues. But we the people claim that we are the true brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, “those who do the will of Jesus’ heavenly father.” We are the church of Jesus Christ, whatever may be the name that one attributes. And we remind you: “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matt.16: 18)
Hoping that right sense will prevail

With regards,

T J John & Tharian Chacko

Ph: 9446506468;

Ph: 9446014044

SAVE CSI Initiative

Breaking news

It is reliably learnt that the Supreme court of India has up held while disposing of SLP 10732 that the participation of some 16 voters from the CSI Thirunelvelli diocese in the CSI synod elections at Kuttalam on January 14, 2010 was not as per law. We are awaiting the full court judgment, which is yet to become public. Since VasanthaKumar, M M Philip, Devakaksham dispensation won the election by a meager eight votes. The ruling could effectively render the election null and void. Watch the space for more details.

Courtesy – Bishop Boycott Campaign, Bangalore

Open Letter to Rt. Rev Dr P. Surya Prakash, President, United Theological College (UTC) Society.

9th July 2010





Rt. Rev Dr P. Surya Prakash

President

United Theological College Society

Bangalore



Dear Rt. Rev Dr Surya Prakash,



The Bishop Boycott Campaign would like to congratulate you and those at the UTC on the institution completing 100 years.



We were  in the audience yesterday (8th July 2010)  when the Governor of Karnataka His Excellency H.R. Bharadwaj addressed the concluding function of your centenary celebrations at the UTC. Our apologies for gatecrashing the event without an invitation. But we could not resist seeing for ourselves how the Governor would react to being seated next to the Moderator of the CSI  and Bishop of Karnataka Central Diocese S.Vasanthakumar. After all it was only two weeks earlier His Excellency had received a delegation in the Raj Bhavan bearing a petition seeking the arrest of Vasanthakumar and his family members  in the criminal case that a Bangalore court had ordered a police investigation on.





In the event it was most encouraging to see His Excellency avoiding making eye contact with Vasanthakumar during the entire function. In fact after the function was over and before he walked off the stage the Governor actually turned to you and your principal to chat leaving Vasanthakumar looking  like a security guard standing behind him. If the CSI head  missed the message from the body language of His Excellency we are sure many in the audience did not.

Poor Advertisement

It was interesting how in his address as Chairperson of the UTC’s Centennial Celebration Committee, Vasanthakumar noted that “next to my parents and my primary school teacher it was UTC that shaped my destiny and my values.” While the poor sod meant that as a compliment to his alma mater, we are sure most UTC wellwishers would have cringed on hearing these words. There can be no worse advertisement for the UTC than to have Vasanthakumar as your ex-student and, worse, for him to advertise that his values were shaped by the UTC . Of course since he dipped into CSI school funds and gave you Rs 1.5 crore, to put up a building in honour of his principal the late Russell Chandran, one supposes you really had no choice but to make this eminent crook  the entirely ceremonial chairman of your centennial celebration committee.



What must be even more disturbing for UTC wellwishers was Vasanthakumar’s statement that  currently 15 of the 22 bishops in the CSI are ex-UTC students. While again the poor sod meant that as a compliment, he only caused embarrassment to the UTC as many of these15 are involved in various crimes. The CSI Rogue’s Gallery in fact is headed by none other than Vasanthakumar himself. Then there is the Chennai Bishop Devasahayam (who has gone to the Supreme Court to try and ensure  the chair that he has glued to his bottom for the last 10 years is not prised away), the Coimbatore Bishop Dorai (who recently spent a stint in jail) the North Kerala Diocese Bishop Kuruvilla (who is busy making money from selling church property) ……the list is long as are the crimes of those in it.



In fact the Bishop boycott campaign was witness to the amusing sight of  Bishop Kuruvilla,buttonholing Vasanthakumar immediately after the function yesterday and seeking his advice on how to handle the recent court orders slapped on him. After all who better to give advice to a crook than a fellow crook! More power to our friends at http://savecsi.blogspot.com/ who have systematically exposed Kuruvilla’s many crimes. For his part Vasanthakumar lamented to Kuruvilla how both their names had figured in the many emails exposing corruption that had gone out to foreign donors leading to a  choking off of overseas funding to the church.

Curriculum Shortcomings

The Bishop Boycott Campaign recently went through the curriculum of your courses in the UTC (as contained in your college handbook 2009-10) and found that while you offer, as part of the Bachelor of Divinity programme,  everything from Advanced English to  Skill Development in Communication and A Critique of Development and Modernisation there is virtually nothing on what ails the church today.  In fact while much  of the curriculum is outward looking (as indeed it should be) there is a virtual exclusion of anything looking inward at the burning problems in the church today.  What your students  should be critiquing is not the ills of modern development but plain old fashioned corruption that is going on unchecked within many churches – all while acting in the name of our  Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ of course!



The Bishop Boycott Campaign would like to suggest that you introduce a course on “Corruption in the Church”  We recommend (tongue firmly in cheek of course) that you use a case study approach to  this course  where students are encouraged to study corruption as it has manifested itself in the Church -- whether in the forgery techniques employed by Vasanthakumar to prepare false documents or Bishop Dorai’s modus operandi in stealing Rs 3 crore of diocesan funds. Unless future pastors are familiarized with these methods of committing crimes they probably will not recognize it when they see it being done by their bishop!



One of your illustrious predecessors as the UTC head the late Vasanth  P. Dandin (who gave the CSI the “gift” of Vasanthakumar as bishop) was no less a master in this art of making a fast buck. He used to insist on being paid airfare to travel between Dharwad (where he was Bishop) and Bangalore when he came for meetings. The small problem of there being no air service between the two cities did not deter him. First class rail fare was just not good enough for him and the unhappy compromise had to be settling for the higher taxi fare for a journey where no taxi was involved. There was of course the other problem of his arranging three different meetings in Bangalore on a single visit and taking travel benefits from all three, a problem that has not entirely gone away we understand.

The Bishop Boycott Campaign's challenge to the UTC

The Bishop Boycott Campaign calls on the UTC to issue public letters to all bishops who are its ex-students and whose criminal deeds have been published in newspapers to offer an explanation for their misdeeds. If there is no response, the UTC should write to the Income Tax authorities to have these ex-students and their bank accounts investigated. Further the Bishop Boycott Campaign urges the UTC to hold a public hearing along the lines of the jan sunwai made famous by the MKSS in Rajasthan, where  church members having evidence of the wrongdoings of bishops present the same before an independent jury. The accused Bishops should also be invited to defend themselves. The Bishop Boycott Campaign will more than happily participate publicly in this cleansing process.



Since apart from the CSI, the UTC has several other denominations represented in its midst, there will be no shortage of corruption cases to study. We will even recommend that you influence  Vasanthakumar to institute an endowment  for the “Study of Corruption in the Church” and invite him to be on the guest faculty along with his fellow bishops from Chennai, Coimbatore, North Kerala, etc. It could well turn out to be the most popular course you have ever run in the UTC’s 100-year history.



On a more serious note, the Bishop Boycott Campaign understands that your major problem in the UTC today is dependence on diocesan funds to finance the activities of the institution. With the drying up of Mission funds, the UTC is at the mercy of the Bishops, corrupt or otherwise, for its sustenance. This means you are handicapped in fighting the injustice being perpetrated on the church by those who are meant to be its chief guardians.  But taken beyond a point, this problem of funding can also become a justification  for inaction. What efforts has the UTC made to reduce its dependence on diocesan funds?  The Christian community in India (many members of which are extremely well placed in life) can provide the funds the UTC needs to free itself of the diocesan stranglehold.  Unfortunately tapping into this ready source would require  having both vision and leadership of the kind that is missing in the UTC of today.

Quality of Students

Finally we want to offer some advice on improving the quality of students you currently get at the UTC. As we all know, to a large extent, the quality of the output is pre-determined by the quality of the initial input. We also know that the best and brightest do not want to become priests. In fact finding a first class graduate wanting to join a B.D. programme would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. But we believe this problem is also because of the inadequate appreciation among the public at large of the benefits of becoming a priest.



With government jobs shrinking thanks to liberalization, the church offers some of the few remaining  assured lifetime employment opportunities with benefits that are hard to find anywhere else. As any CSI pastor in Bangalore can testify, these benefits include getting a job for the wife in a CSI school (even if she is not adequately qualified for it)  free tuition for the children in CSI schools, medical insurance cover of Rs 2 lakhs,   a residence free of rent, vehicle with fuel and a starting salary of around Rs 15,000. There are also the thousands to be made each month from covers that grateful parishioners slip quietly for officiating at marriages, baptisms, etc. Even in retirement such covers provide a steady stream of undisclosed income apart from the official pension.



Above all, there is the unmatched respect that the priesthood commands. Most people would give an arm and a leg to have others kowtowing to them in public and, hey, priests don’t even have to stand in queues to get their food at say a marriage reception! For the venal-minded clergy of course, there is lakhs to be made from mediating school admissions, selling church property for personal gain, negotiating below market rentals for  church property, etc. Who said priesthood is an unattractive proposition? Perhaps the UTC should advertise the legitimate benefits of priesthood to attract good fee paying students to join the institution. Currently virtually all your students are financed by the dioceses (which also means you have little control over who joins).



If some of our criticism of the UTC seems unduly harsh, our regret is that it is not harsher. The UTC is largely seen by the lay person today, and rightly so,  as an ossified institution reluctant to address the many ills that plague the  wider Christian church. And  by continuing to remain silent on the widespread and open corruption that exists at the highest echelons of the CSI church (the second largest in terms of membership after the Roman Catholic church in India),  you offer little hope for a better future for Christians everywhere. But that does not stop us from wishing the UTC all the very best for its second century.



Yours in Christ



The Bishop Boycott Campaign



P.S. The Bishop Boycott Campaign understands your ex-student Bishop Dorai, who has virtually been driven out of Coimbatore by the church faithful, is to be given refuge in the UTC by getting a house to stay on the premises. Why is it that the UTC has to become the last refuge of scoundrels? On a more positive note, you may have found the ideal person to lead the suggested "corruption in the church" course! 

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Are You In The Fire Today?

If you could talk with the three Hebrew children about their experience with the Lord in the fiery furnace, perhaps they would describe it this way: The fire was all over us. Our robes were ablaze, yet amazingly, our skin was untouched. We had no idea what was going on. Then something moved among the ashes; we were not alone. Suddenly, out of the smoke came a shining, gleaming person! We never got His name; He never said it. He never said anything. But just knowing He was there brought such comfort. His presence protected us in the midst of the crisis.

Now, we do not mean to say that the fire went out, or that the heat was reduced. No, it still burned, but the brightness of the flames was eclipsed by the brightness of His presence.'We never saw Him again; He showed up only when we needed Him. One thing is sure however, looking back, we are glad they dragged us from the presence of the wicked king into the presence of the Righteous One! In His Company we learned that, "No weapon forged against you will prevail. You will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord."'Are you walking through a fiery trial today? If so, you are not alone - God is with you! Take courage! When He brings you out you will know Him better, trust Him more, and have something to say that will make others want to listen



Courtesy: The Vine

The Court Strictures against Bishop Kuruvilla

In the case filed by Rev. Thomas John in the Sub court of Ottapalam (OS 145/10) against the action taken by Bishop of removing him from the Clergy Roll, the court ordered that the unilateral and arbitrary action taken by Bishop is not valid and that Rev. Thomas John should not be prevented from discharging his duties as a Presbyter of Church of South India. According to Rev. Thomas John, he was forced to approach the court in the context of a constant threat of more severe action by the bishop.





Rev. Thomas John is the former Head of the Department of Psychology in the Union Christian College, Aluva and former General Secretary of the Student Christian Movement of India. The court strictures are welcomed in the context of wide spread opposition to the bishop on account of this action and similar actions of vindictiveness. It is known that, though the bishop bases his action on a letter alleged to have been written by Rev. Thomas John, which Rev. John denies lock stalk and barrel, now he tries to raise all sorts of frivolous imputations for his action. The witch hunt has been going on since he was summarily relieved from the pastoral responsibility to the Holy Trinity C.S.I Church, Aluva on Ocotber 23, 2007 without showing any cause. The bishop seems to have no moral compunction and impunity in exercising his authority in such arbitrary fashion and without any sense of commitment to the constitution of CSI and natural justice.



The ecumenical leaders like Rev. Dr. K. C. Abraham, Rev. Prof. K. C. Mathew, Dr. C. T. Kurien, -- have condemned this action and they also welcomes this court verdict.

Again, court restrains Bishop Kuruvilla

The Honorable Munsiff court at Ernakulam restrains Bishop K P Kuruvilla from his vendetta against the presbyters who points out his misdeeds of fraud, forgery, corruption and His extra constitutional activities including rigging and other malpractices of the election to be held on 11-07-2010. Rev P J Jacob of CSI All Saints Church, Kalamassery and Rev Praise Thaiparambil of The CSI Christ Church at Elamkulam, Ernakulam are the petitioners.