Pala, Kerala: An ecumenical meeting of various Christian church leaders in Pala has dramatically rejected the conciliation efforts made by KCBC President and Malankara Catholic Church head, Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis Catholicos Bava, with the Chief Minister over the controversial backlog in aided school teacher appointments due to the disability reservation issue.
The unified stand taken at the meeting, convened by Syro-Malabar Church’s Education-Ecumenical Commission Chairman and Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, effectively dismantled the Cardinal’s recent peace moves. During the assembly, sharp criticism was leveled against the government for the prolonged delay in aided school appointments.
Church leaders demanded that the favourable approach and order granted to the NSS management on a similar matter should be extended to the Christian managements as well. Significantly, major churches, including the state’s largest, the Syro-Malabar Church, made it clear that the appeasement talks between Cardinal Cleemis and the Chief Minister were “unacceptable” to them.
Malankara Catholic Church, headed by Cardinal Cleemis, was notably absent from the ecumenical convention. Orthdox Church head, Baselios Marthoma Mathews III Catholicos Bava, openly slammed the government’s suggestion to approach the court for a resolution to the appointment deadlock, stating it was “not acceptable.” He stressed that the current stance provides “no relief” and that anxieties surrounding the disability quota will not dissipate without a firm guarantee.
The ecumenical meet’s stance underscores a deep rift, particularly as Cardinal Cleemis is known to have a close relationship with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The consensus among the assembled leaders is that the Cardinal’s conciliatory moves, often unilateral under the KCBC label, are not binding on the broader Christian community. This dissent is seen as a deliberate move by Bishop Kallarangatt to counter the Cardinal’s influence, reflecting a general anti-CPM sentiment among most Syro-Malabar Bishops, contrasting sharply with Cardinal Cleemis’s perceived allegiance to the CM.
The meeting concluded with a resolution for Christian denominations to stand united on issues affecting the community, categorically rejecting any formulas put forth by Cardinal Cleemis regarding the teacher appointment issue.
