World | India
Vatican suspends Kerala bishop over adoption row
The Vatican has suspended a Roman Catholic bishop from Kerala after he adopted a 26-year-old woman, local Church officials said on Friday.
- Agencies
- Published: 17:32 October 24, 2008
Thiruvananthapuram: The Vatican has suspended a Roman Catholic bishop from Kerala after he adopted a 26-year-old woman, local Church officials said on Friday.
According to Father Stephen Alathara, a spokesman for the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Conference, a communique had been received from the Vatican, ordering the suspension of Bishop John Thattungal, 58, and a formal inquiry.
"The bishop has been stripped of the administrative and religious responsibilities of the diocese, pending a probe into the charges as per a Papal decree," said Father Stephen Althara, a spokesman for the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council.
The Vatican conducted an inquiry after a section of the Kochi clergy complained against Thattungal, saying his action was "morally and ecclesiastically wrong."
The probe will be carried out by a three-member committee of fellow Indian bishops.
"A final decision would be taken only after the inquiry report is submitted and till then he remains suspended," Alathara said, adding that the investigation could take years.
Thattungal reportedly met the unmarried woman and her family during a pilgrimage in April. News of the adoption triggered an outcry within Kerala's sizeable Christian community after it broke in the local media.
The scandal coincided with celebrations over the canonisation by the pope of India's first woman saint, Sister Alfonsa, who also hailed from Kerala.
Thattungal offered to withdraw the adoption if the Vatican held it improper, but the Kochi clergy maintained its demand for his removal.
Although Thattungal loses the title of bishop and many responsibilities, he will continue to celebrate Mass and perform other functions for the time being, Alathara said.
He will also go to Rome to explain his stand to the Congregation of Bishops.
Christians make up 2.3 percent of India's billion-plus population, with Roman Catholics making up 70 percent of the minority.
Priests were permitted to marry in the first millennium of the Church's history before the celibacy rule was adopted at the start of the second millennium.
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