Priest On ‘Hunger Strike’ For More Than 50 Days Against The Injustice Of Christian Churches

Kochi: At a time when Church sections are fighting for the ownership, control, and power over churches, a priest has been on an undetermined hunger strike for the past 53 days for legislation to regulate the management of churches and end all disputes. The 44-year-old Bar Yuhanon Ramban, a priest of the Jacobite Syrian Church, started his fast on August 19, intending to make the state government enforce the Church Act. According to Ramban, he will continue his protest until he is allowed to meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Ramban began his strike at Piramadom Dayara near Muvattupuzha. After six days, as his health started worsening, he was shifted to the Muvattupuzha Taluk Hospital. “The Church Act is the only solution to the continuing issues within and among the state’s various Christian churches and sects. But the government is not ready to even listen to us. I will end my fast only when the CM promises to hear our concerns. We have taken appointments and visited the CM’s office almost six times this year, but we were not allowed to see him,” said Ramban, who is the director of the Malankara Action Council for Church Act Bill Implementation (MACCABI).

A series of protests were conducted by Christian groups including All Kerala Church Act Action Council (AKCAAC), Joint Christian Council (JCC), and Maccabi to implement the Kerala Christian Properties Church and Institutions Trust Bill (2009), known as the Church Act. The law, as the text of the draft says, is planned to bring in a democratic framework for the administration of material assets of various churches. The draft law was outlined when Justice V R Krishna Iyer was leading the Kerala Law Reforms Commission. But it was never enforced.

“There is no civil law for Christians, unlike other religious communities. The centuries-old churches built by our forefathers were not for converting black money to white. Now, almost all of them are being used for this conversion of money and this has to stop. To bring transparency in the financial affairs of the church, the implementation of this Act is very important,” said Boban Varghese, general secretary of Maccabi.

Meanwhile, doctors treating Ramban said if the hunger strike continues, his health condition will deteriorate. “His condition is steady as of now. We are closely observing his vitals. He was earlier diagnosed with heart problems and this strike can be harmful to him,” said a doctor.

The Act Results in ;

• The Kerala Church Properties and Institutions Trust Bill (2009) was drafted by the Law Reforms Commission headed by V R Krishna Iyer.
• Every parish church shall be registered as a Christian Charitable Trust in the name of that particular church within six months from the date of commencement of the Act.
• The Trustee Assembly is to elect the Managing Trustee, other trustees, and three internal auditors from among members of each parish.
• The Trustee Committee shall maintain all books of accounts and other books with the accounts and prepare an annual statement of accounts.
• As envisaged under this Act, the day-to-day administration of the three-tier Trust will be vested with the respective Trustee Committees.
• Upon Registration of a Trust under Section 9 of this Act, all properties of the church, movable and immovable, and cash shall be vested with the Board of Trustees.