Kerala Catholic bishop 'debarred' from priestly duties, gag on media interaction

Kochi: In a strange order issued by the Catholic Bishop of Thamarassery of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, a priest under his diocese has been stripped of all the rights and freedom.

It includes his right to conduct priestly duties in public besides strict norms for his freedom of speech and movement.

Rev Fr Aji Puthiyaparambil is the beleaguered priest who has been served the notice from his Bishop Remigiose Innchananiyil.

In a letter, the bishop says that the priest cannot perform any of his priestly duties in a public forum, but is permitted to celebrate the Divine Eucharist only in the private chapel at the Diocesan Priests Home, where he resides and he should not go out and if he does it has to be with the permission.

He has also been barred from speaking to the media and making any writing in the mass media also.

Puthiyaparambil, however, is unfazed by the ban and said that as a disciple of Jesus Christ who faced numerous trials and tribulations, what has fallen on him is not going to have any impact and he will go forward with full faith in Christ.

After serving as a priest for the past two decades, Puthiyaparambil courted trouble when he raised issues about some wrong-doings of the higher ups on a few issues.

Soon he was suspended by the Church but following support from the laity that the 46-year-old priest was just pointing out some errors of the higher ups, his suspension was revoked.

It was then the Bishop of Thamarassery-Remigiose Innchananiyil decided to constitute a Tribunal to conduct the trial against the priest and this ban on the priest will be there till the ongoing trial by the Church comes out with its final report.

Meanwhile, a section of the laity close to the priest is now mulling to seek legal recourse in a court of law and for that steps are being taken by them.