Ajimon Puthiyaparambil, a Syro Malabar Catholic priest from the Thamarassery diocese of Kerala, stepped down from priestly ministerial service on May 13. The priest said that he did so to take on the role of a “prophet” who points the church in the direction of reform. He will remain a priest under the Catholic order but will not be performing ministerial duties at the parishes under the diocese.
When asked what prompted his decision, Ajimon said it was not any particular incident but the general decay in the Kerala church that led him to the decision. He pointed to the conflicts within the church regarding uniformising liturgy, clashes between various factions in cyberspace, and the opportunistic political alliances made by the church leadership were some of the major issues that caused what he called the general decay.
“It is liturgical rules formed by humans and not god’s rules of love and kindness that are given prominence. A church has remained locked for the past four months in the name of this conflict. Church members fight with each other in online spaces and spread hate in society for temporary gains. Heads of the Church are accused in criminal cases. Opportunistic political alliances are formed. These are not Christ’s ways,” the statement announcing his decision said.
The priest said that his focus will be on calling for transparency in the Church’s administration and finances and the adequate representation of women, nuns, and others in administrative capacities.
Speaking to TNM, Ajimon said, “What I have taken up now is my prophetic duty to point out the good and the bad in the church. I love and respect the Church and remain a son of the Church. I do not intend to fight.” He said that he will resort to prayers and writing to perform his “prophetic duty.”
According to Ajimon, several voices within the Church wish for reform. But he says there are limitations to what one can say while staying within the system. “I had tried to raise some of the issues earlier. But I did not get any responses. It is not any authorities’ fault. It is the fault of the system itself,” he said.
Ajimon added that he has received calls from several persons within the Church ever since he announced his decision. “They do not speak up out of fear. There is no space to speak from within. Those who speak face isolation,” he said. He is aware that he too will be isolated now, “But I no longer fear that isolation,” he said.
The diocese responded to his decision with a request to return to ministerial service. While Ajimon agrees that there is a chance that his decision will be met with disciplinary action, he says it is unlikely that he will be excommunicated. “There are no such recent precedents,” he said.
When asked if he expected to receive the treatment that nuns who have questioned the system faced, Ajimon said he does not wish to compare himself with anyone. “I have not faced any injustice from the diocesan authorities personally,” he stated.
The Thamarassery diocese, to which Ajimon belongs, has displayed signs of polarisation in the past. Islamophobic narratives, including that of ‘love jihad’, have gained strength here in recent years. While refusing to comment on the topic, Ajimon said that the problems he wishes to address are common across the Kerala church, adding that they are not specific to the Thamarassery diocese. “The main problems are to do with the Church’s finances/wealth. I would not like to enter into a discussion on a particular issue now,” he said.
A large part of the population under the Thamarassery diocese are migrant farmers. When asked how their demands shaped the diocese’s political stands, Ajimon said, “The Church should stand with its flock, no matter the location — coastal, high range, or urban. However, Church authorities should be careful not to bring political colour to arguing for the farmers’ rights.”