CSI PASTORS AND BRIYANI PACKETS

Bishop Christopher Asir so far, has been only in the habit of selling or leasing out church property with an eye on personal gains.  This time, he has gone one step farther.  Without telling anybody, he has pledged CSI votes of Madurai-Ramnad diocese to Jaya, for a price.  In promising these votes, he has played the old fashioned satrap, treating the subscribing members of the church to be poor tenants, living on his grandfather’s estate.

            We hear that on 4^th April, 30 odd cassock clad junior monks of CSI, led by senior padres Rev. Dassaiyan, Rev. Richard, Rev. Devadoss, Rev. Yaukobu et.al., performed a special monk-e-trick in Sangam Hotel, before the venerable Amma.  They sang the chorus “all the CSI votes of our dioceses are for you, dear Amma. Amma…  Amma the victorious one”.  The circus as usual was orchestrated by Asir’s all-weather man Fernandes Ratnaraja, AIADMK cardholding diocesan treasurer, Mahendran and shining-star son, Joel.  Amma was earlier informed that Joel would join AIADMK with 3000 Christian youth.  By 11:30 A.M. Joel could procure only a hundred, and 2900 were yet to arrive.

            Amma was unusually polite, this time.  She crisply thanked the monks for their pledging of votes and the very Christian prayer Rev. K.K.Devadoss offered.  It was two hours wait in all, and 5 miniutes performance.  Then the motley band marched to Bishop’s residence.  Each member was given Rs.500.   They also collected their briyani packets.  As told, they fanned into the Christian crowd and started spreading the rumour “Ayya has made arrangements with Amma and he will get back American College”.  This has upset a few gullible.

            This time, I am not angry about ayya, the Bishop.  Infact, my sympathies are with him for his political naiveté.  I shall deal this separately.  But the amusement I have been having all along about the monks and their usual monk-e-tricks has turned into anger.  These are people who call themselves as ministers of congregations and shepherds of the Christian folk.  The Bishop has after all converted them into small time minions.   At his behest, they tell lies, spread rumours, lead smear campaigns, spread communal and caste hatred, assemble in odd public places for rallies and if necessary for rioting and file false affidavits in police stations and law courts.  Even though they do not publicly fall postrate before powerful politicians, however indulge in such theatricals as any one would caricature them as simple minded buffoons.  Now, a cassock is important for them in public.  If the Bishop orders that they should come in cassock, then it means that they have some work in the police station or the court.  God bless!

            Many of the pastors when confronted, confess privately that they know what they do, are wrong.  They all say that they cannot stand up and speak to the Bishop.  They willfully do all these personally disgraceful things only in order to survive.  Constant intimidation by the Bishop and his men has psychologically and spiritually ruined them.  A regular church goer once commented, “their souls are already petrified and their lives are sleepwalks in the corridors of the church.  They are not certainly aware of what they are doing”.  We always take pity on them and even tolerate them as being helpless men of God.   This tolerance and goodwill of the congregation, the pastors have grossly misunderstood.  They are becoming increasingly mischievous.  The moment they see the Bishop, their egos suffer certain flatulence that they instantly take different avatars.

            Going over to Sangam Hotel to meet Amma and pledge the congregations’ votes without their consent, was too much.  It amounts to cheating.  The irony is that these sleep-walkers of the church while they beg for permission from the Bishop to even scratch their itching bottom, had no hesitation in appropriating the democratic rights of others.  Before entering into the electoral politics, these monks must unite and apply their mind to fight the tyranny of the Bishop and get back their freedom, dignity and independence worthy of ministers.  Why do they commit petty crimes violating the poll law and model code of conduct?  They for instance do not realize that by taking Rs.500/- and a briyani packet, have acted as paid agents for the candidates contesting elections.  Whose money the Bishop distributed to the pastors and for what?  (One pastor afterall confessed that the money came from none other than O.Paneerselvam).  It is not too late for some one to send a complaint to the officials.  Pastors beware!

-- by Scorpius

Madurai                                                                                                                         

06.04.2011