The Suitcase Politics Still Rules the Roost

The 'Suitcase' politics in the appointment of Bishops is reaching a point of absurdity and deviousness. In the Nandyal diocese, the elected panel for Bishopric was set aside by the Synod officers. The Moderator called a meeting of the Bishop’s Selection Committee to select one from among the panel as per the CSI constitution. But the meeting of the Selection Committee was cancelled in the last minute and the matter was referred to the Synod Executive Committee, which met in Bangalore. The Synod Executive, as per a cleverly crafted design, set aside the Bishopric panel to pave way for the appointment of a Bishop of their choice.



The reason for setting aside the panel was also not made known to the Synod Executive which met in Bangalore. Subsequently, certain allegations against the candidates were referred to the Court of the Synod. The term “court” refers to an institution that decides the merit of an allegation through a fair process of trial in which both parties have a chance to defend themselves. But the Court of the Synod, through an ex parte decision enabled the Synod Executive to reject the elected panel.



Sad to say, the candidates still have not been informed as to why their candidature had been rejected; instead the moderator had taken statements from them under duress. This is nothing but a travesty of justice. By this action, the Synod officers have been testing the waters to continue with their nefarious designs. (Read the open letter of Bishop Lawrence and the comments on it by Youth4CSI)



It is learned from reliable sources that the Synod officers are now planning to go the same route in the case of the panel for Bishopric in the North Kerala Diocese also. A lobby working in the Central Kerala Diocese with the tacit support of M. M. Philip and the cronies of Bishop K. P. Kuruvilla, are trying to create a smoke screen, spreading the canard that the election of the panel for Bishopric is invalid as the Diocesan Council that had elected the panel included Deacons, which is against the constitution of the CSI. This is nothing but an effort to fish in troubled waters and to bring in a “money bag” from the Central Kerala Diocese to the bishopric of North Kerala Diocese. In this context, we would like to enlighten the readers and the Christian public of the flowing facts:



1. Since the inception of the diocese, Deacons in active service were always members of the Diocesan Council. The 1984 Constitution of the NKD states (Ch 5/34-c): “Composition of the Diocesan Council: All Presbyters and Deacons in active service according to the Standing Service Rules of the Diocese.” The elections to the panel of the bishoprics of K. C. Seth, P. G. Kuruvilla, and K. P. Kuruvilla were made by Diocesan Councils constituted according to this constitutional clause. Nobody raised any objections regarding the validity of these elections.



2. None other than Mr. M. M. Philip was the observer to the Diocesan Council constituted as per 5/34-c, which elected Bishop Kuruvilla. He had not found any anomaly in this election. How does he now have a different reading of the situation?



3. The new constitution of the North Kerala Diocese, which came into effect on 10 February 2009 once again states that the Diocesan Council is composed of “All Presbyters and Deacons in active service of the diocese.” These re-statements of inclusion of the Deacons in active service are not without any reason. It represents the reformed historical legacy of the Basel Mission which did not have Bishops, but had a specific order of Deacons in addition to Presbyters that rendered active service in the church. This was all the more so in the context of not having enough Presbyters to shepherd all the parishes in the diocese. The Church of South India has always recognized separate constitutions for each diocese so that their distinct histories and traditions are respected and represented.



4. According to the CSI constitution Ch 5/5: “The Diocesan Council that exists at the time of the receipt of the mandate by the Secretary of the Council shall elect the panel.” Regardless of the composition of the Council, the panel for Bishopric was elected by “the Diocesan Council that existed at the time of the receipt of the mandate by the Secretary”. The election was held in the presence of synod observers and none had raised any concern.



5. If this election is null and void, and if the composition of the Diocesan Council is defective, all the elections that it had conducted must also be null and void including the election to the Synod. By the same argument, the Synod officers were elected by a defective Synod. They have no right to hold these offices.



6. The present Diocesan Council, which elected the panel to Bishopric in the North Kerala Diocese was constituted by the Synod appointed Administrative Committee of which the dual posts of Secretary and Treasurer were held by one and the same person, a close confidant of the CSI General Secretary, Mr. M. M. Philip, Com. Mohan Ancherry. Now the Synod cannot call into question the composition of the diocesan council which they themselves had directly constituted and about which they had never raised any question in this long history of association with CSI.



7. The question of composition that has been raised is purely of a technical nature; it does not make incursions into the rights of anybody or cause any inconvenience to anybody. When such is the case, it is to be prima facie rejected as arising from extraneous considerations that have nothing to do with justice or fair play or the life of the church. In cases like this, when the issue is purely that of technical nature, even the secular courts will respect conventions and precedence.



8. The Members of the present Diocesan Council who had not questioned this composition and who went along with the election cannot raise questions regarding the validity of the election at this late stage just because the result of the election was not in their liking. This is nothing but an effort to undermine the smooth running of the institutions of the Church and its democratic traditions.



It is as clear as day light that the present composition of the Diocesan Council does not in any way contravene the basic structure and content of the CSI Constitution and it had been consistently followed all these years without causing inconvenience or loss to anybody. It is our prayer that the Synod will not play second fiddle to these lobbies who are only interested in abuse of power for self-aggrandizement. The people in North Kerala Diocese had suffered enough under the rule of a despotic Bishop whose megalomaniacal ways had scattered ‘the sheep’ and destroyed congregations. If not for the sheep why do we need Bishops and Presbyters?  The Synod remained a silent spectator during these periods of turmoil. Why do we need the Synod? What service do they render to the people in the pew; how significant are they for the people who look for spiritual nourishment or lost in the vagaries of this world? The Synod and the Episcopacy in particular have become institutions that “tie up heavy loads and put them on the men’s shoulders.” People will no longer tolerate this nonsense; people are forced to think even of seceding and remaining independent. It is the future of our church that is at stake. Hope that the Synod officers will uphold the moral rectitude demanded of you and act with reason and probity and above all, as vicars of Jesus Christ.

Fence Eating the Crops

What would happen if a bishop acts against the basic tenets of Christianity, the Bible and the constitutional norms? The North Kerala Diocese – Laity, Clergy, the elected officers and the Executive Committee - finds itself in an unenviable position, as an onlooker, to the truant behavior of a bishop who has lost all sense of proportion in defending his undemocratic, corrupt and unjust actions.

The latest episode is related to the bishop’s US-Canada visit purported to be at the behest of the Ecumenical Fellowship to participate in their Christmas Programs. Our friends in the US can enlighten us on this Ecumenical Fellowship which had not found anyone else other than Bishop Kuruvilla to be their chief guest. We know that this Ecumenical Fellowship is as non-existent as the ‘CSI meeting’ that the Bishop had referred to in the Thalikulam sale deed, as authorizing him to sell the property. If he can enter into such a clandestine and unauthorized land deal, nothing prevents him from touting such blatant lies. The CSI North Kerala Diocese would be grateful to our fellow believers in the US if they could find a way to rehabilitate this bishop who has lost his moral right to shepherd a diocese.

This gathering gave a signal to the bishop that they might not just let him embark on his overseas trip. As can be expected from the devious mind of the bishop, the immediate response was to call the police. But the police backed off realizing that this is a standoff between the bishop and the officers and that they have a legitimate ground to hold the bishop accountable. This standoff continued till 1 pm on 14 December. On 14 December, to the disgrace of the august office of bishop and Christian witness, the police officers had to bring the bishop to the negotiating table and play the role of a mediator. The police officers had to preach to the bishop of the virtue of love and forgiveness and concern for the employees under his care especially at a time as Christmas. Finally, he signed the cheques necessary for the day to day administration of the diocese. He also compromised on his stand to let go of the hook another fraud and criminal henchman, the Presbyter of the CSI Christ Church (Tamil), Munnar, Rev. Immanuel Dasan and agreed to sign a show cause notice to Rev. Dasan for his glaring misappropriation of funds.

The way the bishop went out of the way to delay and detract the decision of the Executive Committee to remove Rev. Dasan from the chairmanship of the Christ Church, Munnar, illustrates the bishop’s complicity in many of the scams associated with the properties in Munnar. The sequence of events on the actions taken against Rev. Dasan is as follows: The Special Audit Wing of the Diocesan Treasurer’s office visited Christ Church, Munnar and found grave irregularities in the accounts. As per their report, the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee, the meetings chaired by the bishop, resolved to divest Rev. Dasan of the chairmanship of the pastorate and hand it over to Rev. Jacob Jabaraj. Then the bishop sent a letter conveying the decision of the Executive Committee and asking Rev. Dasan to hand over the charge to Rev. Jabaraj (below this post, see bishop’s letter of December 8, 2011). He did this to satisfy the diocesan officers. On the same day, by a letter not dated, he cancelled his own order sent to Rev. Dasan sighting flimsy reasons, probably at the instigation of Jacob Mathew, who was the main go between in the fraudulent property transactions in Munnar (below the post, see the letter). The Bishop thought that he could abscond after denigrating and defrauding the officers, the Executive Committee, the Finance Committee and the people in the pew in general. But they forced him to issue a show cause notice to Rev. Dasan.

But we can now anticipate the scheme of the bishop – Jacob Mathew - Dasan trio. Rev. Dasan will be given time to file a civil suit staying this order of the bishop and thus subvert all attempts to bring the criminals to book. Therein, the bishop can continue in his chair till his retirement, then go his way leaving the diocese monetarily, morally, spiritually bankrupt. While this will in no way shame the bishop or make him repentant of his ways, the developments of 13 and 14 December opened the eyes of a large section of the clergy and church members to the devil behind the purple cloak. The diocese and the Church of South India as a whole should hang their heads in shame for having such bishops of incorrigible moral rectitude. It is expected that the laity and the clergy would act more vigilantly in future to stem this rot in the church.

In the midst of these turn of events, we are faced with a synod that is indifferent to the church drifting into moral degeneracy. In the light of grave lapses, violations of CSI constitution and active complicity in various forms of corruption, the synod should be asked to intervene with a moderator’s commissary and a commission to investigate some of these gross misappropriations and mismanagements of Bishop Kuruvilla. If he thinks that he can go scot free with the retirement, he can be rest assured that he will not have a peaceful retirement. A number of criminal cases are in last stage of becoming admitted in various courts. It is yet to be seen what his next move would be. He is capable of surprising us with behaviors that the CSI or Christian history has ever envisaged in a bishop.

The City in Ruins - Story of an Ecumenical Vision Betrayed

Rev. Thomas John

It has come to be recognized across the board by the Indian nation, or for that matter by the world over, that true democracy can be realized only through devolution of power to the people through self-governing institutions at a very local level of community organization. The 73rd amendment Act of 1992 requires Panchayati Raj institutions to be endowed with adequate responsibilities and powers so that they may be enabled to function as “institutions of self-government”. Sweeping legislations are being made across the various states in India to follow up on this amendment. But, this change in perspective and understanding has not yet influenced the thinking of church leadership in India, especially in regard to the nature of church polity and administration. Although, some of the recent judgments of the Supreme Court of India have forced the Syrian Churches in India to decide their disputes taking the majority view of the congregations, thus acknowledging the supremacy of congregations over the prescriptions of Patriarchates and Catholicates.

In this backdrop, it is important to look at the turn of events in the Church of South India (CSI) which have somehow made the episcopacy and the diocesan polity into instrumentalities for arbitrary and ruthless exercise of power over the congregations. The congregations no longer have any say in matters regarding the appointment of their pastors and the alienation of their valuable properties, often bequeathed to them by the missionaries or their ancestors. The episcopate, abetted by an authoritarian, caste-ridden and patriarchal cultural ethos, has become dictatorial. Bishops consider dioceses as their fiefdom; constitution is given a go by and constitutional bodies have been made to sub serve the interests of the bishops through a mystique of divine power, arbitrary exercise of “ecclesiastical authority” and threats of punishments, and dolling out of largesse. Power has become concentrated in the hands of a coterie, undermining democratic functioning of elected bodies. Thus, corruption and mismanagement of church properties has become institutionalized.

The CSI has a church polity in which pastorate committees, except for the chairperson, have very limited autonomy or administrative powers. The chairperson of the pastorate committee can only be a member of the ordained clergy (the presbyter in charge) and whose primary loyalty is to the bishop, from whom he derives his power. The Governing Principles of the CSI Constitution, while acknowledging the role of the pastorate committees as having general oversight of the pastorates, gives the dioceses the right to lay down “the manner and limitations of their oversight”. While all the administrative functions of the pastorate committee are delegated to the chairperson, all the spiritual duties are listed under the tasks of elders such as “helping” the presbyter, “visiting” the sick, settling disputes, “read lessons”, “help the pastor in conducting of Divine service”, "collection of subscriptions and contributions”, “zealous in spreading the Kingdom of God” and so on (Constitution of the CSI North Kerala Diocese). The constitution has effectively turned the people in the pew and the pastorate committees into ciphers. The latter have no say even in the “arrangement and introduction or removal of furniture inside the church”. The clergy change every three to four years and yet, those permanent members of the congregation who have labored for the construction of the church, and contributed to its growth immensely for many years must silently suffer the hubris of a new pastor who, with the blessings of yet another new bishop, push “furniture”, people and tradition around according to their whims and fancies with callous disregard for the members in the pew and the pastorate committee.

While the Governing Principles of the CSI Constitution very feebly affirm, “every pastorate shall have certain 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 the selection of candidates for ordination from that pastorate”, in reality, the constitutions of the dioceses do not treat them with any sense of rights and dignity nearing what is described therein. The next layer higher up in the hierarchy is that of the bishops and the dioceses. In the diocesan structure the bishops are given extraordinary powers. They, in turn, transfer this to the clergy ensuring that they remain loyal to the bishops rather than to the pastorates and the people who support them financially by their subscriptions and tithes. However, there is no clearly laid out procedures by which a bishop can be made accountable either to the diocesan council and related bodies or to the Synod. Thus we have 22 fiefdoms which are ruled autocratically by a monarchical episcopate against the intentions and wishes of the founding fathers.

This situation is further complicated and worsened by the involvement of a subservient clergy and other employees of the diocese in decision making bodies. They become easy prey to threats and inducements. Transfers and postings in congregations and other institutions have been an important means of manipulating them to slavish obedience to the dictates of the bishops. Erosion in the standard of the clergy in their theological formation, general education, astuteness and moral fiber has also come to shape the subservient role and the sycophancy surrounding episcopal authority.

Vast assets, both landed properties and institutions, inherited from the missionaries at prime locations come in handy to the bishops to bolster their arrogance and dictatorial ways. CSI Trust Association (CSITA) is credited with the task of holding in trust the valuable properties bequeathed to us by the missionaries. The assets that the congregations have procured either as landed properties or church buildings and other commercial ventures are also given over to the CSITA. But then, the CSITA act without any authorization from the local congregations, collude with the bishops and alienate valuable assets of the congregations when its role is solely to manage the properties on behalf of every member of the church and its congregations.

By its own admission in the income tax returns, the CSITA acknowledges that it is only “a bare and passive trustee”. A bare and passive trustee is one in whom property is vested simply for the benefit of another person till such time the cestui que trust claim possession of the property or deal with it as per his direction. As such, the CSITA cannot be a party to alienating lands and other assets of the church. While this is the real fact, the bishops and the Synod have been deluding the congregations and its members by its authoritarian ways and acting as if the CSITA can do whatever it pleases with the assets of the church and therefore have the right to alienate them at its will. However, the CSI constitution is very explicit in the understanding that it is only with the full consent of the congregation that the executive committee or the property committee can initiate any action to sell or lease any property of the trust. When it comes to properties that we have inherited from our forefathers or the missionaries, we are morally bound to use it for evangelistic purposes for which they have bequeathed them to us. However, today, instead of seeking new and relevant ways of evangelism and service to the community, the properties are perceived only in terms of its real estate value as in the case of Ahab, while the Christian attitude should be that of Naboth who had refused to alienate his vineyard for attractive terms of exchange, since the land was invaluable to him as “the inheritance of my fathers” (I Kings. Ch. 21: 14).

The injustice becomes more evident when one observes that a local community buys a piece of land and builds up a church and associated infrastructure; then, comes an “upstart” bishop touting his authority and scepter of excommunication to cow them to submission and to establish his will on them, be it a matter of posting a pastor, dismissing an elected committee without adequate reason or consultation, or even making an ecclesiastical visit without invitation or information and against the will of the congregation. These are things that really happen against the wishes of all those who have worked for the church union.

The shape episcopacy has taken in CSI is unimaginably more authoritarian with accumulated vested interests than that of the Eastern churches. These churches have a long history of hierarchical episcopate, but surely, hierarchical ordering in itself need not be authoritarian. It is important to note that the bishops in the Eastern churches lead the life of an ascetic, a sanyasi, particularly, opting for a life of celibacy. These factors to a great extent may help to confine their role to more theological and spiritual matters rather than to more temporal concerns of property development and transactions. Moreover, the church has a short list of celibates from whom they can elect a presbyter to bishopric. From this short list, further short listing is undertaken by a screening committee, carefully scrutinizing all aspects of the life of a clergy before he is presented before the Sabha Mandalam for voting for bishopric. This rigorous process of screening and short listing helps to ensure the integrity of those who are, then, voted to the office.

In CSI, there is no such screening process. Even presbyters who do not have a basic B. D or M. Div theological degree and have character anomalies can contest and get elected to the panel for bishopric and then subsequently be nominated to this office by political maneuvering and payoffs involving huge sums of money. There are bishops in CSI who have only a B. Th degree, but then, go around prefixing ‘Dr.’ to their names. While, in the earlier days, the CSI was known for its educated clergy both in secular and theological education, today the situation is just the reverse. The Eastern Orthodox/Jacobite Churches and the Marthoma Church have well educated clergy, often trained in their own best theological seminaries. As a result, our standing in the ecumenical world has been considerably diminished. We do not have the kind of clergy or episcopal leadership as that of the stature of Bishop V. S. Azariah who could set the ecumenical agenda of his day and command the respect of an ecumenical community.

For the Eastern churches, more prominently the Marthoma Church, dioceses are not significant entities except for administrative management. Each diocese will have a bishop and associated councils and administrative structures; but they cannot be fiefdoms of a bishop. They remain accountable to the central authority constituted in the person of the Metropolitan, the Synod (the bishops’ council) and the Prathinidhi Mandalam, which is the apex body of the church, consisting of “the Metropolitan, all other Bishops, Vicars General, representatives of clergy and parishes, representatives of the recognized institutions of the Church, representatives of those who have become members of the Church as a result of the missionary work of the Church and persons nominated by the Metropolitan.” (Constitution of the Marthoma Church)

Particularly important is the fact that 65% of the membership in Sabha Mandalam is from the laity and only 35% from the clergy. There are several layers of checks and balances. The laity, being in the majority, plays a significant role in matters of administration and policy decisions. The clergy-laity proportion even in the Malankara Syrian Christian Association is 1:2. But, till recently, the clergy-laity proportion in the diocesan councils and other administrative bodies of the North Kerala Diocese and of many other dioceses of the CSI have been highly skewed in favor of the clergy. When there is a predominance of the employees of the diocese in decision making bodies, either as clergy or employees in institutions, the chances for those in authority influencing them with threats and inducements will be very high. In the Marthoma Church, the transfer of clergy does not rest with the diocesan bishops, rather with the Metropolitan in the Synod.

Many things that have been happening in the CSI are against the protestant and reformed tradition and the enlightenment and democratic ethos that were associated with these historical movements. Democracy rests on two pillars: (1) the utter depravity and sinfulness of human beings and (2) the dignity of each human being as created in the image of God. The first, the deprived and sinful human condition affirms the fallibility of human beings and all human authorities, which, as a result, requires checks and balances within any system of governance. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton). Power of any human authority has to be checked and kept under control and democracy is believed to hold a promise in this direction.

Second, the Christian and biblical affirmation of human dignity is exemplified in the fact that human beings are created in God’s own image with certain inalienable rights and that no human being can be considered ‘worthless for whom Jesus Christ died’. Hence, democracy again is believed to hold the promise that every member of the society is respected and his/her views are heard. It is this democratic tradition that is being negated when a bishop repudiates the CSI constitution and takes on to himself “ecclesiastical authority”, which neither our tradition nor the constitution expect them to exercise. The Moderator and the Synod intervene only under extreme circumstances and by that time, enough damage may have already been done. Most often, the Synod and the Moderator cannot intervene as their credibility and moral stature would be worse than that of the diocesan bishops and their cronies. They also suffer from the same malignancy.

Once Synod elections are over, the Moderator and the General Secretary have a free hand in managing the affairs of the Synod without much checks and balances. Often Synod elections are fiercely contested with huge sums of money changing hands. Then, the newly elected executive committee and the Synod officers collude to ensure that their efforts are amply rewarded. Moreover, they remain far away from the people and the public glare except as people who are revered for the high office that they hold and the ‘divinity’ associated with it. They, then, elect themselves as the CSI Trust Association, and preside over the plundering of valuable assets passed on to them to the negation of their role as trustees. Recently, it has been the agenda of the bishops to initiate a number of “development” projects, a misnomer for engaging in activities by which they can regain the capital that they have transferred for nomination to bishopric. This involves starting self-financing professional courses such as B. Ed, Dental and Nursing Colleges, leasing out buildings and properties in prime locations, developing shopping complexes, and outright selling of lands, again in prime locations. This has come to the point where a bishop openly proclaims that the CSI is on a mission to explore the potential for a business venture in tourism. Appointments of teachers and admission of students are also occasions for illegal gratification.

The casualty is mission and evangelism, which is glossed over for developmental activities. Majority of Dalit parishes in rural areas have been lost to us through pastoral neglect. The schools and colleges of missionary days remain unattended and uncared for. The concern for equity and empowerment of the poor and the down trodden have been completely sidelined to accrue crass financial gain through self-financing institutions. Dalit has become a word used more often to attract foreign funds rather than a focus for solidarity, for social justice and liberative action. When the mission in education, the only cultural instrument that can provide equity and empower people, is turned into commercial ventures to benefit the elite of a given society, all the tall talk of mission in education become a sham and the memories of the missionary stalwarts who paid by their lives to establish such centers of knowledge especially for the most vulnerable sections of the society stands desecrated. Unity, renewal, mission slogans with which many of us grew up have ceased to be part of the vocabulary of the church; the people in the pew are left to fend for themselves and poached by all and sundry evangelists who come with bags of dollars. Even bishops fall prey to them. The CSI is also faced with the daunting task of convincing the people in the pew that they are the church and they are the “royal priesthood”, and more than being serviced by the clergy, they have a role in the world of “proclaiming the good news of the gospel and driving out the demons”. They are kept under submission by a mystique of divine power. The sacraments and the “full privileged membership” are considered means of salvation without which they are destined for perdition, rather than means of empowering oneself for the task of Christian witness in the world. The clergy intentionally furthers a theology and biblical interpretation that legitimizes this perception of discipleship and the church being in the world as a religious community for its own salvation. This is further buttressed by the casteist and feudal world view and the related spiritual notions and practices that are very much part of the cultural milieu. And for a majority, church also means “favors”, once doled out by the missionaries and today by their counterparts in the persons of bishops and clergy.

There is nothing much to salvage except to ask the judiciary to put in place an officiating administration for an interim period and during which a commission constituted with the involvement of the partner churches may go into the various aspects of the structure and functioning of the CSI. And then, based on the commission’s recommendations, the CSI prepare itself for radical restructuring.

One direction in which this change can be envisaged is by stressing a more Congregationalist polity with its associated recognition of the theological emphasis on the priesthood of all believers and of the various gifts, ministries and operations which are given to us by the Holy Spirit for “building up the church”. Congregationalists played a prominent role in the formation of the CSI in 1947, and they also became part of the United Church of Canada and of the Uniting Church in Australia. The strong convictions concerning the sovereignty of God and the priesthood of all believers have led many of them to adopt a theological and social liberalism, and to participate in the ecumenical movement. The promise of a revival among the laity, their active and decisive involvement and participation in the life of the church and also their public witness in the secular world are inherent in a Congregationalist polity. The ordained ministry, in a Congregationalist polity will not easily be corrupted by any vestiges of “priesthood” and “priest craft” and will give way to an understanding of their role as that of an “elder”.

The history of congregationalism would reveal a strong emphasis on evangelism and a new political and social radicalism, a reaching out to the poorer sections of the society, an emphasis on democratic form of administration, and freedom from “dead works” and dead structures of religion to serve the living God. It acknowledges the rights and responsibilities of each properly organized congregation to determine its own affairs, without having to submit their decisions to the judgment of any higher human authority. Congregationalist polity is often criticized for its laxity in not sticking to right faith and practices arrived at through a more collective and corporate decision making process as it has been done in a diocesan/Synod polity. However, a diocesan/Synod polity is no guarantee that right faith and practice would be arrived at through collective consensus and that they would always be strictly adhered to. In the last 63 years of the CSI, no crucial matters of faith and practice have ever come up for serious debate or resolution in the dioceses or Synod except that of women’s ordination. The CSI is least concerned about right faith and practice. One of the former moderators of the church had his hands laid on a lay preacher from another sectarian church without the sanction of the Synod executive committee and consecrated him as a bishop without any consequence to his office. Another CSI bishop, who had been part of the same action, was later elected/promoted to be the moderator of the CSI. Moreover, it is also a fact that a Congregationalist polity never stands in the way of a confederation or convention of the congregations to deliberate on such matters and lend itself to seeking God’s will in community with the leading of the Holy Spirit as in the case of the Jerusalem council (Acts 15: 119)

The congregational emphasis could be kept in balance with a Presbyterian polity in the office of episcopate. During the negotiation for church union, the South India Union of Churches (SIUC) faction, which comprised of the Congregationalists and the Presbyterians, was very much concerned about the shape that episcopacy would assume in an authoritarian, hierarchically ordered and caste-ridden society like India. Their worst fears have come true and the Episcopal and Anglican traditions has completely taken over the manner and content of the church’s presence and witness in the world and has become a source of much corruption in high places.

The suggested changes are not easy to come by. The entrenched forces of evil, injustice and oppression will not easily give up their “ecclesiastical privileges”. And a change can be effected only with much zeal and suffering equaling the one that was shown during the union negotiations. With majority of the members being indifferent to what is happening in the church except the respectability associated with it, a popular uprising cannot be expected at the moment. But a spiritual revival under a charismatic leadership or a sustained effort by a remnant prepared for the long haul, bearing the cross, could be a promising prospect that can change history around. In any case, all this calls for a complete overhaul and a radical restructuring without which CSI will have no future. It is already dead spiritually and is stinking. Repentance and Prayer in “sack clothes and ashes” by a fearless and committed group of laity, a remnant, is the need of the hour. Hope and pray that the spirit of Christ would sweep over us all and make us live.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ And he said, ‘Go and say to this people: “Keep listening, but do not comprehend;keep looking, but do not understand.” Make the mind of this people dull, and stop their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed.’ Then I said, ‘How long, O Lord?’ And he said: ‘Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is utterly desolate; until the Lord sends everyone far away, and vast is the emptiness in the midst of the land. Even if a tenth part remains in it, it will be burned again,like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains standing when it is felled.’ The holy seed is its stump. (Isaiah 6: 813)

(Rev. Thomas John is a theologian, educator, and ordained minister of the Church of South India. He has served the Union Christian College, Aluva, Kerala, for over 33 years as Professor and Head of the Department of Psychology. He was the General Secretary of the Student Christian Movement of India from 1990-94, a Mission Partner in Residence in the Worldwide Ministries Division of the General Assembly Mission Council of the Presbyterian Church (USA) from 1994-95. He now serves the Presbyterian Church (USA) as the Companionship Facilitator for the ‘Joining Hands Against Hunger’ partner network in India and Sri Lanka, and the Coordinator of Young Adult Volunteer Program in South India.)

Criminal Conspiracy and Cheating

Many good things have happened in the life of the diocese in the recent past; we are thankful to God that we have been able to restrain Bishop Kuruvilla from freely carrying out his devious designs and alienating the valuable assets of our church. We were able to stop him in his path to self-destruction and destroying our valuable assets and Christian witness. But more skeletons are falling out of the cupboard, the implications of which are far more than what we perceive on the surface. 

In an earlier post, we had brought to your attention the corruption involved in leasing out a valuable asset, a prayer hall in Munnar, to SN group. Now, we have learned that the SN group is not even paying any rent and that they are constructing another floor above the present structure without acquiring permission from the diocesan authorities.   We can only assume that they take this freedom with the silent consent of the bishop. It is learned that when this matter was taken up in the finance committee, the bishop was playing ignorant of the lease deed signed with the SN group. He signed and executed the deed; but neither do we have a copy of the lease deed to refer to nor does the bishop take any responsibility for what is happening at present. It is amply clear that the bishop alone knows the details of the deed which he had clandestinely entered into for his own pecuniary benefit and he is letting SN group benefit as per a mutually agreed design. It is important that we fix responsibility for this action and make the bishop accountable.

This is equally true of the English Bungalow in Fort Kochi. The lease agreement expired in February 2010; but no attempt has been made to retrieve the bungalow and the almost one acre of prime land in Fort Kochi, which would cost more than 100 crores as per the present value. This is also an instance of premeditated lethargy and indifference leading to someone making money at the expense of the church. These deals would cause incalculable loss and damage to the church. But who will be made responsible for this action and from whom will we recover the loss?

We cannot go on dilly dallying with these issues; we must face them squarely; and seek an inquiry into these and a number of other similar matters by an independent commission of experts. We should fix responsibility and make them accountable. Any slackness in this matter will not be pardoned by posterity. 

കപടമുഖം അനാവരണം ചെയ്യപെടുന്നു

A Bishop Gone Intemperate

The democratically elected representatives to the various committees of the North Kerala Diocese are now confronting a situation where they have to deal with a bishop who is neither amenable to the constitution of the church nor to the democratic practices and structures. He even seems to lack the moral compulsions derived from the fear of God, as he would rather be a law unto himself.



On 2 August 2011, the Working Committee of the diocese met in the Diocesan Office in Shornur to discuss certain vital matters concerning the life of the Church. Arbitrary and vindictive action by the bishop on pastors and pastorates and about 40 members of the laity remain sore issues affecting the life of the church. The elected representatives were keen to resolve these vexing issues. The construction of the bishop’s house had been progressing with no controls whatsoever. The bishop has arbitrarily deviated from the approved plan, estimate, structural specifications and contract causing an estimated embezzlement of Rs. 50 lakhs.



The appointments already done in the four higher secondary schools recently sanctioned by the government also remain sticky issues. When the elected members and officers in the Working Committee raised these issues, the bishop walked out abusing the members and also the Moderator of the CSI, challenging what the Moderator would be able to do to him. His haughty and intemperate behavior does not have any rhyme or reason, and is bordering on what is characteristic of an unbalanced mind.



The Clergy Secretary is in a quandary as the bishop insists that the minutes of the last Executive Committee must be changed as per his dictates. The Treasurer and the Clergy Secretary are threatened with dire consequences if they do not follow his line. There was an instance of food poisoning in one of our orphanages in the diocese (Chembola, near Kozhikode) and 25 children had to be admitted in the hospital causing interference of the District Collector and other government officials. To deal with the exigencies of the situation and prevent further damage to our public image, the Treasurer required Rs. 1 lakh and the bishop refused to sign the check. He seems to have no responsibility to deal with such exigencies that vitally affect the life and witness of the diocese.



The bishop is bent on creating an administrative impasse. He refuses to submit to the constitution of CSI or the diocese or any democratic institutions or norms. He has no fear of God. He does not have the emotional maturity to settle the issues at hand rationally and congenially. In this situation, he should resign from his position as bishop of the diocese or go on a long leave. Or else, the Synod should act decisively and intervene to resolve this impasse. If no relief comes from these sources, the people of the diocese will be forced to resort to extra-constitutional means causing much damage to our Christian witness. The situation in the diocese is deteriorating day by day causing an erosion of morale at all levels of the church, for which the whole of CSI may have to pay a very costly price.



Till the last meeting of the present diocesan Council, the bishop has been dubbing the popular resentment against him as the handiwork of a few individuals with certain ulterior motives. This has been disproved and today, the situation is such that the entire Executive Committee and the Working Committee are against the bishop. There is no way he can sideline the elected officers and get things done as per his dictates. In this situation, we seek the urgent intervention of the Synod and the moderator in this matter and bring relief to the suffering believers of this diocese.

T. J. John, Secretary, CSI North Kerala Laity Fellowship

"Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do"

This is an article written by Mr. K M Roy, published in Mangalam daily on 18th July 2011

Unfinished Agenda

Episcopal goondaism in full display

Section of congregation on Fasting inside the church

Beyond Victory and Defeat

The sweeping victory against the incumbent administration in the elections to the positions of officers, the Executive Committee and other committees in the North Kerala Diocesan Council, has brought to us much relief in the struggle against a bishop who, like an elephant in musth, had been running amok and creating so much havoc in the life of our church. Like a raving maniac, he razed to the ground indiscriminately any person and institution that happened to be on his way and appeared to undermine his inflated ego. He was a source of torment to so many gentle and humble ‘sheep’; he summarily removed devoted church members from their primary membership in the church; he put to suffering many who served in church related institutions by vindictive and arbitrary transfers; he cowed down the clergy and made them toe his line by threats of punishments; he put congregations that refused to toe his dictates to immense suffering by denying them pastors and sacraments; he used a coterie of infamous henchmen for his clandestine land deals, starting of higher secondary schools, and other lucrative financial deals associated with the developmental activities of the diocese. The bishop had become a law unto himself. The sweeping majority that could be established against the bishop has delivered a blow to his designs and it has become certain that he cannot continue in his arbitrary ways and that he should act as per the constitution of the CSI and the diocese.

This victory is a warning to all erred bishops in the CSI that people have started to rise up and they will no longer tolerate their unholy and arbitrary ways, and that they will be made accountable for all their wrong doings. It also comes as a morale booster to many who are fighting the entrenched evils of bishoprics all throughout the CSI, convincing them what a sustained, prayerful and devoted campaign could accomplish. If what had begun with the first expose on the clandestine land deal in Thalikulam on January 14, 2010 by a frail and humble old man, Mr. George Kurien, has achieved so much within a period of one and a half years, it can only be the Lord’s doing.

What we have seen is the resurgence of the laity in the North Kerala Diocese and their coming of age. It has been proved to us what a devoted and resurgent laity could accomplish in transforming the church. Only a revival of the laity throughout the length and breadth of CSI can save it from its present degeneration and disintegration. So, it has become imperative on us to expand this model of campaign and networking to the other dioceses in CSI. We have also realized the price that had to be paid for the lack of vigilance by God’s people: “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”. We need to continually remind ourselves and our fellow believers that a Bishop is only an Achen with a larger constituency and that they are not Thirumenis but Bishop Achens. Moreover, Achens are not any superior beings to laity, whose position is derived from the “pattom” (ordination) generously and reverently given to them by the community of believers, and therefore, they cannot ride roughshod over the laity with impunity. CSI does not subscribe to any theory of Episcopacy, but accepts “the historical episcopate in a constitutional form.” Within a feudal and patriarchal milieu, as that of ours, the bishopric can easily lent itself to become monarchical and dictatorial. In the hands of such power mongers as Bishop Kuruvilla, it can only be an instrument of self-glorification and domineering.

It is important that we should not glory in the apparent victory that we were able to win in the present election, but turn this occasion for glorifying God and with greater commitment work towards making God’s church what it ought to be. We cannot acquiesce in a change of leadership as it could well be a mere transfer of power without changing the way we think and act or run our institutions. We need to be continually vigilant and strengthen our laity fellowship across the diocese and beyond. Second, we should leave retribution to God; we should not keep any vengeance to the bishop. We should give all cooperation to the bishop to the extent that he would amend his ways and confine his role to that of a “father in God” and “chief shepherd”, instead of trying to interfere in the administration, particularly financial administration of the church. It is doubtful whether the bishop would be able to confine himself to such a spiritual role knowing his proclivities. But we should hold him in our prayers and expect the best from him. We should also leave to God’s judgment all those who have conspired and abetted in all his wrong doings.

What is apparently a moment of victory can be just the opposite. We all know the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel. (I King 18:20-40) God gave him a spectacular victory over the prophet of Baal. The fire of the Lord fell from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings in response to his prayer. But a little later we find Elijah, despite his spectacular victory, under a broom tree, fearing Jezebel, depressed and saying to God, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers.” (1King 19:1-8) Subsequently God asks him to refresh himself and run to Mount Horeb and stand before the Lord. Elijah did as God had told him and stood upon the mount before the Lord. Then we read, “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.” The Lord appears to Elijah in a “gentle whisper” and in the sound of the gentle whisper God said to him to carry out certain tasks in history, in the context of the social and political realities of his time: “You shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria; and Jehu the son of Nimishi you shall anoint to be king of Isreal; and Elisha—you shall anoint to prophet in your place.” (1 King 19:15-16)

We may not be aware of the implications of these tasks demanded of Elijah; but it surely indicates to us that God’s presence need not be in our mountain top experiences; we may have to go and meet him in the demands of the valley. History belongs to those who are prepared to listen to the “gentle whisper” and in obedience take on the powers that be and work in ways that will undermine their evil designs. That is to bear ones cross and follow him. We cannot bask in an electoral victory; but, we have a prophetic ministry to complete and miles to travel before we sleep.

We should propose the following agenda to the new dispensation of the diocese:

1. The bishop should work within the framework of the constitution and a democratic polity. It is a mistake to understand authority as “power to rule over”, rather it is a privilege to serve and care for the sheep. It is sad that the bishop strays from the path of love and service shown by Jesus Christ, “the great shepherd of the sheep”. He should be at all cost restrained from interfering in financial and property matters. The bishop should not be allowed to undermine the democratic institutions of the diocesan structure.

2. Unfortunately, both in the CSI constitution and the constitution of our diocese, there is a centralization of power in the hands of the bishop in the diocese and the clergy in the pastorate. This must be carefully reviewed. However, it must be realized that these offices in the church derive their power from the people and all power comes from God; we are only its stewards. Any exercise of it for self-aggrandizement or destroying the other, rather than for ennobling and building up, is unchristian and must be controlled. The justice delivery mechanism in the diocese must be made effective, so that ordinary people in the pew, rather than the ecclesiastical leadership, can be at the center of the church’s life.

3. This is by no means to undermine the status and dignity of the specialized ministries in the church, particularly the ordained ministry. We do not want the role of the presbyters to be demeaned to that of a servant of the bishop. Their dignity and honor comes from their moral stature and we would like to see them uphold it and provide the kind of moral leadership we badly need in our church and society. In a situation where the bishop arbitrarily exercises his power to punish and transfer pastors at his whims and fancies, we cannot expect any clergy to be upright. It is important that there should be clearly laid out norms that are transparent and objective for the transfer of the clergy. In deciding the transfer, the pastoral board should exercise these norms in such a manner that the interests of the Clergy, the congregation and the diocese are considered. In the absence of such norms, there will be much sycophancy around the bishop and very little of earnest work to “tend the flock” under their care. New dignity, courage and fervor must be restored to the clergy.

4. We should not allow the properties bequeathed to us by our ancestors and the missionaries to be alienated either as outright sale or long term lease deed. They are also not to be used for any so called developmental purposes, but to serve the evangelistic cause for which they have been given to us. Development has become a misnomer for misappropriation of valuable assets and resources of the church. The properties of the CSITA belong to each and every member of the CSI. It is only in consultation with the local parish and only after seeking their consensus that the properties under their care can be sold or leased out. The advice of the property committee and the executive committee must also be sought. The trust laws should be strictly followed in effecting such land transactions.

5. The Church should earnestly search for and identify new areas of need to which we can respond in the compassion of Christ. The existing missions should be reviewed and revitalized, instead of carrying them forward as an adornment. Our evangelists must be well utilized and well paid.

6. The events of the past one year have brought into sharp focus questions regarding the rights and role of the congregation. Don’t they have a right to be consulted when their property is sold or leased out? Don’t they have a right to be consulted when their pastor is transferred or a new pastor is appointed? Are they only there to support the cultic ministries which are so guardedly preserved as the prerogative of the Clergy and remain in subservience to the ‘ecclesiastical authorities’? Who are they in terms of the mission of the church? After all who is the church? Is the church the hierarchy, the bishops and the clergy and other ecclesiastical structures and paraphernalia? Bishop Kuruvilla treated the congregations and their demands with much disdain and never acknowledged their central role in the ministry of the church. The ecumenical affirmation about the local worshipping community as the very place where the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic church exists in its fullness must be affirmed and promoted to further the mission of Christ in the world. They are the vanguard in mission.

We are open to receiving more suggestions from all quarters. When we look back, we realize that God’s grace and guidance has been enormous. That does not mean that we did not have times of trials and difficulties. We are working with our own meager resources and the enormous good will from our friends. Most of them, without looking for fame or profit, have been unstinting in their support to us. We cannot at this time forget the labor of many noble souls, who were so convinced of the rightness of this cause that they were prepared to work day and night without seeking any reward. The bishop put many of them through extreme suffering. But they persisted. Two pastorates and its members in Elamkulam and Kallamassery are holding the fort despite all attempts by the bishop to cow them down by denying them sacraments and other ministries.

We do not underestimate the role played by many of the retired bishops, the moderator of the CSI, the Synod officers, the Synod appointed administrators, a large section of the clergy retired as well as in service, who acted with much understanding, forbearance, and determination in seeing us through this crisis period and making sure that democratic governance is restored to the diocese. The recalcitrance of Bishop Kuruvilla is unmatched and would wear out anybody with normal human sensibilities. We pray that the new officers, the administration and the executive be given the grace to face the daunting tasks ahead.

Victory should not make us arrogant or slothful. Our task only begins. The Laity Fellowship has been formed in response to the call of God to remind us of our Christian calling and election. It does not stop with a transfer of the governance of the church; it must continue to fulfill its prophetic role under all circumstances keeping God’s mission to the world in focus.

T J John,
Secretary, CSI North Kerala Laity Fellowship.

The Synod and the Bishop Playing Hide and Seek (Malayalam)

Indian Campaign Against Church Corruption

A group of concerned church leaders and activists in southern India has launched a campaign to combat "the deep-rooted cancer of corruption" within churches.



The campaign has been established following the murder of a bishop, the imprisonment of another, and a rise in concern among church members that corruption is rife in church hierarchies, particularly in denominations which receive funding from abroad.



A seven-member task group of officials from church-related organizations "to fight corruption and violence within the church" has been set up following a meeting by more than 20 church leaders on December 9 at the Inter-Church Service Association (ICSA) in Chennai, capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.



"We are now planning to convene a larger meeting with as many church leaders as possible to make the movement against corruption [in churches] effective," Moses P. Manohar, ICSA executive director and co-ordinator of the anti-corruption campaign, told ENI.



The meeting on was chaired by K. Rajaratnam, a prominent Lutheran leader and former president of the National Council of Churches in India, who is also director of the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College in Chennai.



He told ENI: "Corruption is rampant among church leaders. The mission of the church is not on the agenda of many church leaders. Their real agenda is power and money." Rajaratnam is also the executive secretary of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of India (UELCI), a forum of 11 Indian Lutheran churches.



Shortly after the meeting, the church leaders issued a statement saying the campaign had been prompted by the recent "killing of a head of a church on property-related issues and the award of two months' imprisonment by the judiciary to another bishop."



Bishop G. Emmanuel, president of the 800 000-member Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church (AELC), was stabbed to death last July in the AELC complex, allegedly because of a dispute over the lease of AELC property.



Three months later, Bishop M. I. Kesari, of the Church of South India (CSI) diocese of Kannyakumari, in India's southern tip, was sentenced to two months' imprisonment for corruption and contempt of court. Bishop Kesari was jailed for defying a court order not to declare the outcome of a church election allegedly rigged by the bishop's faction. The bishop has appealed against the sentence, and the prison sentence has been put on hold.



The church leaders' statement declared that "a movement must be initiated to bring rethinking and revival in the church. The movement is not just aimed at a few individuals, but is meant for creating a new ethos where people should be ashamed of becoming suddenly rich and the people in general must be prepared not to be tolerant of corruption.



"The status of the church looks like a sucked-out orange and a salt which lost its saltiness," said the statement, which added that "church journals have shrunk to the level of carrying only the obituaries and bishops' tour details" instead of discussing real church concerns.



The meeting identified the misuse of foreign funding, along with indifference, tolerance of corruption, and the granting of absolute power to church heads as the main factors "that breed corruption" in the churches.



As well as the task force, committees to be known as "Nathan's Clubs" - named after the Old Testament prophet Nathan - will be established at various levels in Christian communities "for prophetic action of challenging corruption and abuse of power."



"If we speak of corruption to the people, they will tell us to go and advise the bishops first. Just as Nathan went to David in the name of the Lord, speaking the truth in love, we need to do the same," CSI pastor T. Dayanandan Francis told ENI, referring to the second book of Samuel in the Old Testament.



Pastor Francis, who is general secretary of the Christian Literature Society in Chennai, said that "we [Christians] are very fed up with church leadership. The cleansing should start at the top [with those] who call themselves shepherds."



According to Rajaratnam, even traditional churches like the Orthodox Church, based in the southern Indian state of Kerala, suffer from factionalism promoted by church leaders who have vested interests.



"As for the new [Protestant] churches, the situation is much worse," he told ENI. "Church leaders are more interested in material concerns than spiritual matters."



Esther Kathiroli, executive secretary of the Tamil Nadu Christian Council and one of the members of the new task force, said in an interview that "many church leaders start well, but gradually get involved more in money matters than spiritual matters."



Kathiroli said that church leaders "should act like David who repented when the prophet Nathan pointed out his sins." Corruption in the churches was a "vicious problem," with some pastors failing to take their mission seriously. "Consequently, disappointed congregation members join new churches mushrooming around these days," she said.



While corruption was a problem "in almost all churches," Moses Manohar said that churches "directly connected to overseas churches are more prone to corruption" because of their access to foreign funds.



He added that the swift amassing of wealth, including big houses and other properties, by church leaders was "a scandal to ordinary faithful."



"Widespread corruption has made churches also embroiled in too many court cases," he said, adding that "judges are virtually ruling our churches."



Rajaratnam told ENI that leaders of the National Council of Churches in India, the CSI, and officials of theological colleges had written to him welcoming the campaign against corruption.



However, Rajaratnam said that the task ahead was a "difficult one," and that most of those supporting the campaign were retired church leaders. "The challenge before us is to bring active church leaders into the campaign for accountability and merit in church decisions and administration. But, the question is how many would be willing to surrender power to public scrutiny?" Rajaratnam said.



From Christianity Today Magazine (www.christianitytoday.com)

Corruption charges laid against the Bishop in North Kerala: The Church of England Newspaper, Jan 28, 2011 p 8.

The Church of South India (CSI)’s synod has taken charge of the administration of the Diocese of North Kerala after its Bishop, the Rt. Rev. K P Kuruvilla failed to convene the diocesan council.



North Kerala has been the scene of heated debates between its bishop and lay leaders.  In a letter to the moderator of the CSI dated Jan 21, the CSI North Kerala Diocesan Laity Fellowship accused the bishop of pocketing school funds. They alleged that since June 2010 the bishop had collected approximately Rs. 85 million rupees (£1.2 million) “through the appointment of thirty two teachers in four of the newly sanctioned higher secondary schools” in the diocese.



At a meeting of the diocesan executive committee held on Oct 20, questions about the disposition of the funds were raise.  The diocesan treasurer “admitted to have received only Rs. 15 million (£207,000). When asked about rest of the amount, bishop responded that the amount received cannot be divulged and the executive committee members [would] have to just trust him on this matter,” the complaint said.



A new diocesan council that included critics of the bishop was elected at the end of October, but the bishop did not convene the council.  Critics have charged the bishop with seeking to derail the new council so as to avoid an inquiry into diocesan finances.



Under the CSI’s constitution, if a diocesan council is not convened within 90 days of its election, its administrative responsibilities pass to the synod. On Jan 24 the synod appointed an interim council that included Bishop Kuruvilla and directed that a new council be elected and installed by May.



A number of CSI dioceses have witnessed conflicts between their bishop and clergy and lay groups. In May 2010 six clergy and a lay member of the Diocese of Rayalaseema staged a protest before the diocesan offices, calling for the ouster of Bishop K.B. Yesuvaraprasad.



A lay member of the diocese, Dr. Y.S. Thomas Reddy, had distributed tracts accusing the bishop of misusing diocesan funds and called for a protest at his residence on May 25. Bishop Yesuvaraprasad requested police protection, and when the protesters arrived they were arrested for a breach of the peace when they did not disperse.



Allegations of misconduct have also been leveled against the moderator of the CSI, while a criminal investigation is underway into the finances of the Bishop in Coimbatore, the Rt. Rev. Manickam Dorai. Last year the CSI synod dissolved the diocesan council and suspended Bishop Dorai pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings.



Two other CSI dioceses are currently under the administrative oversight of the CSI synod. In the Diocese of Madhya Kerala the Bishop in East Kerala has been given temporary charge of the diocese following the retirement of the Rt. Rev. Thomas Samuel on Jan 24. In November the Diocesan Council nominated the Rev. Thomas Oommen and Dr. Oommen George to stand for election at the Jan 18 meeting of the diocesan synod. However, a dispute over the balloting has postponed the election pending a review by the provincial ecclesiastical court.



On Dec 25 the former moderator of the CSI, Bishop John Gladstone retired as Bishop in South Kerala. The Synod has appointed the Bishop in Kanyakumair to oversee the diocese until a new bishop is appointed.



Courtesy - http://geoconger.wordpress.com/