Just days after grabbing the headlines by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Fr. Shaiju Kurien, secretary of the Nilackal diocese of the Orthodox Church, has been temporarily removed from his positions in the church pending further inquiry.
According to an official statement on January 5 (Friday), an inquiry commission has been constituted for probing the complaints lodged against Fr. Kurien by a few members of the diocese within two months. The priest will stand down from all his positions in the church till the inquiry is completed.
Besides holding the diocese secretary’s position, Fr. Kurien was also serving as the vice-president of the Sunday school under the diocese.
Meanwhile, the church has also decided to seek an explanation from Fr. Mathews Vazhakunnathu, another Orthodox priest who had openly challenged Fr. Shaiju’s decision to join the BJP, during a TV news discussion.
“The action is being initiated as the priest, instead of lodging a complaint with the church committees concerned, raised the allegations against a fellow priest while participating in TV channel discussions,” read the statement.
These decisions, according to the church, have nothing to do with the ongoing political discussions.
Fr. Kurien, along with 47 Christian families, took membership in the party at a Christmas function attended by Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan on December 30. Kuriakose Mar Clemis Metropolitan had offered the blessings at the function.
Following this, a section of the diocese members had come out in the open against the move and staged a protest in front of the Nilackal diocese at Ranni.
