Kerala Bishop apologises for adopting young woman

The Kerala Bishop who adopted a 26–year–old–woman as his daughter apologised to the Church and the senior Bishops after the incident snowballed into a controversy.

In a written letter to the parish priests in Kochi diocese, Bishop John Thattumkal, 58, said he was willing to withdraw from the adoption if the church decides that he had erred.

He also expressed regret over certain views he followed earlier which were considered to be against the teachings of the Catholic Church. The Bishop previously had offered Mass together with an Orthodox priest, upsetting his own parish council.

Following an investigation by the Catholic Church, it was found that he had violated church discipline. He was later detached from the duties of a parish vicar.

"On Oct 10, the bishop himself was summoned to Delhi and his statement was also taken and they have sent that also to the Vatican. Since in India we have had no precedence of taking disciplinary action against a bishop, we are unable to say how long we will have to wait for orders from the Vatican," a top official to the Latin Church told IANS.

John Thattumkal belonging to the Verapoly Latin Archdiocese stirred a controversy adopting a woman from a non–Catholic family in Pathnamthitta district, as a measure of spiritual renewal. He is reported to have met the woman during a pilgrimage to Europe last April.

"I have only filial love towards the spiritually gifted girl. She has never been allowed to live in the bishop's house. She had only stayed with her father at the guest house near the bishop's house. She had occasionally accompanied me in my car for the holy mass and other religious celebrations," Thattumkal was quoted as saying in Mathrubhoomi newspaper.