Bishop to reconsider adoption of woman

Thiruvananthapuram: Following a ruckus over his adoption of a woman, a Catholic bishop in Kerala has reportedly agreed to review his stand which had angered priests in his diocese as well as many among the laity.

The bishop in question, John Thattumkal, called a meeting of the parish priests of his diocese yesterday morning and was learnt to have told them that he would reconsider the adoption issue if the church and parishioners were against it.

The 58-year-old bishop, who belongs to the Verapoly Archdiocese of the Latin Catholic Church at Kochi, triggered the controversy by adopting a 26-year-old woman, who had earlier been under the "guardianship" of another priest, C.K. Joseph of the Malankara Orthodox Church, based in Pathanamthitta district.

It had also been reported in the local media that the priest had been stripped of all his parish duties. The controversy had raised such a furore that the matter was even referred to the authorities in Vatican.