If there is accountability and transparency really existing in the Catholic Church why clergy is so much upset with the Church Act that is mooted by the government? According to the Holy Bible, Matthew 22:21, Jesus said "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's." Preachers of the same gospel conveniently neglect giving the tax that belongs to the government, even when owning so many profit making institutions all run under charity.
The draft notification of the bill, mooted by the Kerala Law Reforms Commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice K.T. Thomas, seeks to ensure fair and transparent administration of the properties and funds of the churches in Kerala, and end maladministration by subjecting churches to a process of accounting.
Kerala government's plan is to takeover the financial administration of churches, and eventually bring them under an administrative system like the Devaswom Board for Hindus and Wakf board for Islam. The Church always wants to be safe under the minority status and charity institution label whereas the individuals within the church pay tax to the government and submit their IT return.
Misinterpreting the draft bill (Church Act) to the believers, the clergy manages to safeguard its vested interest, by instigating protest marches of the laity against the government. It is the clergy, enjoying all the owned power and misusing the same, who feels threatened, as their sovereignty is going to be shackled.
Even now the laity does not have any voice in the decision making process in the church. There is no democracy as the power comes from above (the bishops and leaders are not elected by the laity nor by priests). The Church Act would possibly give more power to the laity.
Any religion that is institutionalized, on having surplus money tend to slip away from its basic charism, dharma and become less humane and more money centered. If the clergy argues that it needs exemption being a minority community, it needs to note that the Muslim - minority has the Wakf board.
When an internal system is misused for malpractices, there should be an external system introduced for ushering a process of cleansing.
If the Church Act could bring more accountability and transparency in the Church and its way of functioning, in an era where so many believers are turning away from Church due to all the mismanagement within, the leaders of the clergy should get the Church Act introduced, if they want to keep the believers glued to the Church.
Image Courtesy: CNN News18 (google)
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