POWER CORRUPTS

Supreme Court chief justice uses a simple and humble  Ambassador car for travel. Pope uses a 2008 model Ford Focus in Vatican. Its cost won't be more than Rs 6 lakh (new model costs $ 20000 or around Rs 12.80 lakh). He was recently gifted a luxury car -- Lamborghini Huracan -- which costs $ 200000 (around Rs 1.28 crore). But Pope auctioned it and gave the money for charity.
However, there's no need to tell you the vehicle brands (and their cost) owned by our church heads. Everyone knows it. The heads of two Christian churches (not Catholic church) in Kerala  own Mercedes Benz cars.
The day when cyclone ockhi wreaked havoc,  the head of a protestant church -- who is based less than 10 kms from the ravaged area -- spent Rs 75000 to get a particular registration number for his brand new Innova Crysta. Bishop of a diocese bought a Toyota Hybrid car worth around Rs 45 lakh last year. Another bishop has a Toyota Fortuner which costs over Rs 30 lakh.
The head of a Protestant Church denomination is on a buying spree of rubber estates. Several dioceses have huge properties including estates and buildings across kerala. One Christian  congregation owns two shopping complexes in a central Kerala town. There could be more. Where's the income going? Are lay people benefiting from this huge wealth of Christian denominations?
We witnessed the spectacle  of a section of priests launching a mutiny against the Cardinal in Kerala. Reason: a mismanaged land deal involving a  middleman. Rebel priests are washing the dirty linen in the public. They lamented about lack of career growth options. They want power, position and career growth.
The trappings of power that come with various positions in the curia or institutions are immense.... a great attraction for clergy. The menace of clericalism. Church has become an institution to climb the social and church ladder and control the laity. They are cutting the branch on which they are sitting. All in the name of God. Laity is watching the tamasha helplessly.
As English historian Lord Acton said, "power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

GIVE TO CAESAR WHAT BELONGS TO CAESAR

 We are all supposed to follow the law of the land. Church, which holds vast real estate, buildings and institutions, is no exception. 

 Church, like any other citizen, must pay the taxes properly… sincerely hoping they are doing it. We’re not supposed to undervalue property to evade tax or launder black money. Whether this (evasion) has happened in the controversial Kochi church land deal is still not clear.

 Church must discourage black money and money laundering. When unaccounted cash transactions are illegal, why are some church institutions – especially educational institutions -- entertaining black money?

 As Jesus said, "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God." The big question is: Is the Church in Kerala evading taxes payable to the government and indulging in black money? There’re no answers. Church activities are now becoming highly commercialized and non-transparent, which is a bad sign. Church has become a toll-house where middleman and nouveau rich are tightening their grip and poor are no longer welcomed.   
 Let there be good governance and transparency in the church. Caesar's wife must be above suspicion. This is applicable to everyone in India, including the church whether it's Protestant or Catholic or Jacobite.
 Only God knows why the Church and sister organisations keep on accumulating land and institutions. On the other hand, there’s a shortage of 18 million houses in urban areas in India, per capita income is only around Rs 1.11 lakh and unemployment is rising. Per capita income in the US is over Rs 36 lakh and Switzerland over Rs 50 lakh.

 In Bible, Mathew 12:6-7 says: “I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.  If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” In short, God and His mercy are much more important than big churches, land or institutions. The sharp division in the Syro-Malabar church over a land deal shows that we are just messing it up. The Church needs a proper policy framework, transparency and governance.

 The bottom line: stop running after land, buildings, expensive cars, luxurious life, buildings and bickering over liturgy. Share the wealth among the poor. But we’re moving away from the one – Jesus – who gave up His life to save the mankind.