Vatican orders Catholic priests in TN to shut down pvt trusts

0


[ad_1]

Chennai, October 25: Vatican envoy to New Delhi Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli ordered the bishops of Tamil Nadu to take action against private trusts run by the state’s Catholic clergy and shut them down.

In a letter to the bishops of Tamil Nadu, the Archbishop who is the representative of Pope Francis in India as well as the Vatican ordered the bishops to take immediate action as these trusts turn into financial and political power bases for priests.

The Archbishop wrote to the Tamil Nadu Council of Bishops in a letter dated October 8 that trusts registered as NGOs are turning into major political and financial sources of strength for Catholic clergy and that this practice should be immediately suppressed.

Archbishop Girelli’s decision is seen as a direct result of several controversies, including the recent issue regarding Catholic clergy trying to open a university medical hospital in southern Tamil Nadu.

After the Archbishop’s letter, several bishops wrote to Catholic priests to close the trusts of which they are active members and where financial transactions take place.

The Vatican envoy, in the letter, also mentioned that according to Canon Law 286, “Clerics are prohibited from doing business or commerce personally or through the intermediary of others for their own benefit or that of their own. ‘others, except with the permission of a legitimate ecclesiastical authority’.

Tamil Nadu Minorities Commission Chairman Peter Alphonse told IANS: “Now is the right time for the Catholic community to put their house in order. The clergy should support the oppressed, not the individuals.”

Several prominent figures in the Catholic community had already expressed their concern about the excessive indulgence of the clergy in more than spiritual areas and it was suggested to form a committee with professionals to manage educational institutions and other bodies controlled by the Catholic Church.

(IANS / 2 days) https://www.newkerala.com/tamil-nadu-news.php

[ad_2]

Share.

Comments are closed.