Catholic officials in the southern Indian state of Kerala have begun lodging police complaints against what they call a rising trend in media to defame the Church, mainly priests and nuns.
Newsroom (01/03/2022 11:07 AM, Gaudium Press) “Our priests and nuns have lodged more than 160 police complaints across the state against certain online, mainstream and social media platforms for portraying Catholic priests and nuns in a poor light,” said Father Michael Pulickal, secretary of Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council’s commission for social harmony and vigilance.
Father Pulickal warned that Kerala police were refusing to register their complaints in some cases. Still, the bishops’ council and other church bodies will “not succumb to pressure” and continue their campaign “for legal action until we get justice,” he assured. “Our people are going to lodge as many complaints as possible until the authorities initiate action against those trying to destroy Catholic religious life,” the priest said.
Among the objectionable posts are pictures of women in religious habits of Catholic nuns posted by photographer Yaami on social media.
As the pictures went viral, a local news portal quoted the woman photographer saying: “Two young women in nuns’ clothes hug warmly, walk together hand in hand, and laugh together. The issue is how people look at these photographs.”
Church officials complained that the photos sketched Catholic nuns as lesbians.
Meanwhile, YouTuber Jolly Adimathra posted a video calling for an end to the practice of Catholic religious life for women and closing down the nunneries, drawing parallels with the ancient India practice of the Devadasis (female servants of god.)
The practice was abolished as the Devadasis were sexually exploited by the rich and the powerful linked with the temples. Similarly, claimed Adimathra in the video, nunneries were created to satiate the sexual urges of the male-dominated Catholic hierarchy.
On his part, Father Pulickal stated that “we cannot tolerate this anymore. We want the government to act against those tarnishing our image as priests and nuns.”
“The negative portrayal of nuns and priests is a conspiracy to keep the younger generation of Catholics away from religious life,” said a nun belonging to Voice of Nuns, a group of religious who interacts with members of the public through social media on issues that plague them.
“Despite the humiliations and hatred, we continue to take care of the friends and relatives of those attacking us. It is really painful to be called prostitutes or slaves,” remarked a nun from the Daughters of St. Joseph.
(Via UCA News)
Compiled by Raju Hasmukh
