Catholic Church to oppose proposed Bills

March 19, 2009      Staff Reporter

Says fundamental rights will be the biggest casualty Courtesy: The Hindu

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/catholic-church-to-oppose-proposed-bills/article335188.ece

KOLLAM: Fundamental rights will become the biggest casualty if the State government decides to enact four controversial Bills mooted by the Law Reforms Commission headed by the former Supreme Court judge V.R. Krishna Iyer, said Kollam Bishop Stanley Roman here on Wednesday.

He was releasing the booklet ‘Ma Nishada’ by George F. Xavier.

The booklet seeks to ‘expose’ how some of the proposed Bills tend to be ‘hostile’ to the Catholic tradition, Dr. Roman said. Suitable amendments to existing laws are the imperative need of a society. But ignoring the sentiments of a community in this exercise is sheer injustice, he said.

The four draft Bills are the Kerala Family Wellbeing Bill, the Indian Penal Code (Kerala) Amendment Bill, the Kerala Christian Church Properties and Institution Trust Bill and the Kerala Christian Marriage Bill.

Dr. Roman said the Catholic Church had serious reservations about the Bills because it had a stand on those issues. The Bills can only be seen as part of a wider agenda to tar the church, he alleged, expressing the hope that the government will understand the sentiments of the church and take corrective measures.

It appears that the recommendations have been finalised by the commission on the basis of interviews with some disgruntled elements who are inimical to the church, the bishop said. He alleged that there was a political agenda behind the Bills. The clergy and the laity will stand together to oppose it.

The bishop said that as part of the church’s protest, the Kollam diocese would organise a protest rally and a public meeting here on March 30.