No govt intervention on Church properties, says Catholic group

The All India Catholic Union (AICU) on Tuesday strongly opposed any government intervention in the properties of the Catholic Church in India.

Stating that transparency in Church affairs was an internal matter of the Community, the spokesperson of the AICU, John Dayal, rejected government scrutiny or control over Church and community properties, clarifying that the controversial suggestions is entirely uncalled and is based on "misinformation and disinformation".

The statement came close on the heels of a Goa seminar that called for a law to protect the properties of the Church. At the seminar, Eduardo Faleiro, Commissioner for Goa NRI affairs, and KT Thomas, former Supreme Court judge, demanded a legislation parallel to the Sikh and Muslim community. Ironically, AICU president Remy Demis also endorsed their views for a law to administer church properties.

"The provisions of the Indian Penal Code, are more than adequate to investigate and prosecute rare cases of corruption and, indeed, adequately oversee all aspects of the church`s interaction with the State in matters of finance, properties etc," Dayal said.

He argued that the Christian situation differs radically and materially from that for
Hindu, Muslim and Sikh religions. "The laws governing properties and functioning of those religions are born out of individual histories of their faith before and after Independence," he pointed.

"A micro minority such as the Christian Church in India needs to breathe the air of Freedom and be beyond both reproach and fear to be able to fulfill its destiny, and continue its work in social action," he said, adding, "Government intervention, which is synonymous with political and administrative interference can only throttle this critical freedom."

Dayal, however, clarified that Church was not against an audit and that it was supporting an independent audit of its properties and management.

As a response to AICU president Remy Denis statement that Christians might be a mere 2.5 per cent but Church suffers from a case of plenty, Dayal said, "Over 60 per cent of the Christian community is of Dalit origin, and 20 per cent of Indigenous tribes. Most of these groups are as poor as their brethren of other faiths. The Church works in the poorest areas of the country."

Denis during the seminar last week had even said that Church authorities control funds equivalent to the Indian Navy's annual budget and it is also the second largest employer after the government.