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Court restrains Knanaya archeparchy from removing diasporic members from rolls
Several non-resident Knanaya Catholic members and organisations had petitioned the court against the termination of their membership in home churches based on their domicile status
A munsiff court in Kottayam has temporarily restrained the Knanaya Catholic Archeparchy of Kottayam from removing the diasporic community members from the rolls of their home churches.
Pronouncing an interim order on June 10, Tiara Rose Mary, additional munsiff judge, also barred the Knanaya Catholic Congress, an association of all Knanaya community members, from enrolling non-resident diaspora members of the archdiocese until the final disposal of the suit.
1911 papal bull
The case pertains to a petition moved by several non-resident Knanaya Catholic members and organisations against terminating their membership in home churches based on their domicile status. In its order, the court also noted that the Knanaya Archeparchy and the Metropolitan Archbishop were compelling the petitioners and other members of the Knanaya community living outside Kottayam to take membership in the Knanaya Mission churches located in their places of residence, under the jurisdiction of Syro-Malabar Church. This was against the special concession granted to the Knanayites by virtue of the 1911 papal bull.
“Termination of membership of the petitioners in the archdiocese without their consent on the basis of a non-existing clause of territorial jurisdiction will cause irreparable injury to the petitioners and is violative of their fundamental right,” it said.
Territorial rights
The petitioners had accused the Metropolitan Archbishop of surrendering the welfare of the archeparchy’s members who are settled outside the territorial jurisdiction of the Syro-Malabar Church. They also accused the archbishop of attempting to delineate the territorial rights of the archeparchy by removing the Knanaya churches situated outside Kottayam from the archeparchy diocese.
Responding to the court order, the Knanaya Catholic Congress said in a statement that it was only an interim order the validity of which can be changed with yet another interim order, appeal or a final order. It also appealed to the community members not to be misled by false interpretations of the court order.
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