Lucy: “Adaminte Vari-ellu?” Further on Lucy Kalappura’s book! – Varghese Pamplanil, Texas, USA
In that sense Lucy may be portrayed the “Vajrayuth” to crush to smithereens, the “Male domination of the Clergy” in the Church depicted as the worst curse in the Church by Francis Pappa.
It is high time to wake up the laity and make them realize, both men and women, are equal partners in society and working for equal pay. Only when that goal is realized can the laity who form the vast majority, domesticate the clergy and force them to take their due place in the Church as servants of the poor and lowly placed in society. james kottoor, editor ccv.
It is amusing to read the statement of the church spokesperson (referred to in Dr. Valson Thampu’s article) that the book written by Sr. Lucy Kalappura is part of a hideous conspiracy to bring down the Church. It is surprising that the church claimed to be built on Peter the Rock has become a fragile house of cards that the heart wrenching whimpering of a nun can topple it. While crying wolf, he is mighty confident that no force can bring down the Eternal Church. What an astounding acrobatic somersault?“Head I win, tails you loose”.
The merchandise of the church consists of guilt, sin, gore and hell and promise of pie in the sky after death. It is surviving because of the support of insecure, superstitious,inherently fear ridden and insecure women. Religion is popular in the decease ridden, underdeveloped regions of the world. Most of the menfolk do churching because of the pestering of their wives .So long as the believers (“kunjadukal”) throng the churches by habit and fill the coffers of the churches, the clerics are damn happy.The cassock wearers are after money and their greed and avarice have no limits.Their motto, loot and loot. Even the pennies of old widows are not spared.
Clerical sex abuse cases are reported world over.The governments in countries such as USA, Europe , Australia investigatethe misdeeds of the clerics and punish them. Hefty monetary compensation is given to the victims. Many dioceses in US have become bankrupt in the process. Investigative journalism also play its part in unearthing child abuse cases. The state apparatus and the media in Kerala by and large maintain conspiracy of criminal silence, omertà , in cahoot with the clerics.
It is more than likely that the church would meet its nemesis due to the disgorging of the filth and rot accumulated in its innards.The excesses of the clergy is likely to bring the edifice down. In the western world, churches are being converted to bars and libraries Church attendance is low. The day of reckoning is not far off for the church in Kerala. The rural economy is in shambles. Youngsters are migrating to metropolises and foreign lands for making a living. In a milieu where people of different cultural, social and religious persuasions inter mingle , mixed marriages, identities will be amorphous.In the hectic struggle for economic existence religious practices including church attendance would be of low priority.
Let us wait for more Lucy Kalappuras to come out baring the murky happenings and sexual exploitation of nuns entrapped in the concrete prisons of convents. Let them break asunder the chains and rip open the iron bars of their bondage with mighty roars.The scenery would be similar to the final moments of the film “AdaminteVari-ellu” where the oppressed women escape from their mental asylum.
Varghese Pamplanil, usa.
