Petition to stop Church from intervening in election campaign

(July 18, 2009) The Kerala High Court has issued a notice to religious organisations on a petition filed to prevent them and community organisations from intervening in election campaigns. The petition also wants the court to declare illegal actions by such organisations in favour or against any one candidate. The notice was issued to the Kerala Catholic Bishop’s Council (KCBC) but also to Hindu organisations like the Nair Service Society (NSS) and the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) as well as the Muslim association Jama-at-Islami. For Fr Paul Thelakat, spokesman for the Syro-Malabar Synod, the Church has a “right to speak about politics even if religions cannot canvass votes in the name of religion. Politics we will do but not politicking. The Church or any religious organization has every right to intervene in politics as Pope Benedict XVI noted in his encyclical letter, Caritas in Veritate.” According to him Caritas in Veritate has something “very new” because it does not defend the poor by opposing globalisation and private property. The petition against religious and community organisations interfering in election campaigns was also filed before the State’s election commission. During the recent elections to India’s lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, the Catholic Church and other religious associations were instrumental in defeating a number of candidates running under the banner of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, which has ruled Kerala since 2006. Church-Communist confrontation has a long history in this Indian State.