Justice for Sr.Lucy, Vanchi Square meet, Ernakulam,
Valson shines offering own home for ousted Sisters!
james
kottoor
VANCHI
SQUARE in Ernakulam, near High court,
witnessed another whole day gathering on Oct.12th to support and
promote “justice for Sr.Lucy” hounded by the church hierarchy, especially by
those in the Syromalabar Church.
The morning session which I attended included
people from all sections of the general public. The main items were speeches
from Sr. Lucy herself, Dr. Valson Thampu, Adv. Induleka Joseph, Sri Moolechalil
editor of Sathyajwala and others.
In her speech Sr,
Lucy said she did not come to defend herself as she didn’t need any defense but
to show her solidarity with a cause titled “Justice for
Lucy” which is actually justice for thousands of
sisters enslaved by the male dominated hierarchy and the priestly class who
always side with the hounding haunts and not with the prey torn to pieces.
Paternal Adivice?
When the sisters
are enslaved to do all dirty, stinking physical toilet work the Priestly class never utter a word of comfort. What is worse
when they are even sexually molested by priests and bishops they ask: “Why do you encourage them?” or advise them
to “Keep quite
and tell no one.” And when the incident comes out, as it did in
the case of Franco, Robin and others they defend and justify the priest or
bishop by giving hero’s welcome as it happened in the Case of bishop Franco.
Besides the
Syromalabar leaders keep dead silence
when scandalous sexual crimes are committed by their comrades, even when
pertinent questions are asked. They go further to vilify the victims and employ the media under their control to
shame the victims, not the attackers. This should change
by all means, but how?.
Outspoken Laity needed
This can happen
only when we have an outspoken “laity”. What we have today is a submissive
and silent laity fawning and praising the priestly class hoping for crumbs
falling from their high tables. They instead
should become out spoken advocates for the cause of JESUS, not for the cause the Church and Churchmen. Both are not the
same. Jesus lived for the cause of the poor and suffering lot; Churchmen live
by and for the comfortable class and moneyed group of people.
If the Catholic Church has any name and fame
and adulation from the whole world, I wrote several times in the CCV, that is all
thanks to the millions of sisters who serve and care for the poorest of the
poor, outcastes, leprosy patients whom no one would go near or touch for any
reward. But the Sisters do it imitating
Mother Theresa expecting no payment or thanks. You know it and I too know of the herculean service our Sisters, do for Jesus’ sake not for the sake of
trumpeting Church men.
An aside please!
In an aside
as proof I must add, I have my 3
youngest sisters working as Nuns and nurses in Bhihar and Maharashtra, two of them Indian Provincials in different congregations,
the youngest Sr.Philo still Provincial and accomplished US-trained Nurse in the Kentuky-Patna based Sisters of Charity.
Besides she takes care of over 50 young girls rescued from flesh-trade.
And my pet sister Sr. Amminy, a BSc RN from Philipines and Homeo practitioner,
practices her poverty by travelling only in general compartment, never books a
ticket, to travel all the way to Maharastra or Bihar or all the way to Poona or
other distant places, in spite of my scolding her not to go to that extend of
punishing herself at the cost of her health. I have also a younger brother
Priest, Sebastian Kottoor working in Vijayawada diocese. It looks I have given
the bad example to four of my younger ones to live and serve the lowly placed cattle class, although I quit
priesthood for good reasons.
Church shines thanks to Sisters only!
This is to prove that the Catholic church
steals from the well deserved lime light of Sr.Lucy and her battalion of nuns, to make themselves glow in the borrowed light
from sisters as the model of service to the last, least and lost, and
not of any light from the male dominated
clerical class always dressed in red, purple and stain and travel in Limousines
costing crores and do foot-washing service only on Holy Thursadys for show.
Some of the publicity material for information,
distributed at Vanchi Square on 12th included a 12-page demy size “Neeti Jwala”, (Fire of Justice),
containing articles like: “Voice rising
against Injustice”, a long interview conducted by Adv.Induleka with Lucy; a
thought provoking editorial: “Issue called Lucy Kalapura”, by Moolechalil,
another titled: “Religious life is not slavery”; “A case-study of the harrowing life of Sisters
for which they are forced to leave Convents” by K. George Joseph; “Rise up for Justuce”, by Valson Thampu;
Publicity material at Vanchi Square!
“How the Catholic Church silences Sisters who
dare to question?” by Leela Rise Goldenberg; “Any organization that defames
respected ladies will crumble” by Fr. Augustine Vattoly; “Training girls to
become sisters at 18 Needs Must Stop” by Sr. Lucy herself; “Sr. Lucy, Safirao
or Shining Beacon of Radical Reform?”, by Chackochan Kalarikal,usa; “Need a
place to rest my head, cries a Sister
before the Supreme Court”,by Joy Adimatra; “Man hunting down humans like wild
Animals”(Homo homini Lupus),
by Anto Mankoottam and many more.
Crown Jewel from Valson
But it must be said that the ‘Crown Jewel’ of Vanchi Squre meetm was
thrown up in the speech of Rev. Thampu: the offer of his own house as home for any Sister who wants
to quit but has no place to go. Valson had come to the meeting after
discussing the issue with his dear wife, he said. So it was a joint decision by
the two, the family. He promised such a sister would be given not just
hospitality but loving membership in his house as his own sister for life.
After
setting that glorious example, he entreated the audience to find at least
hundred other families, to come forward with such an offer, to instantly solve
the Himalayan problem the Rich Syromalabar Church is facing to provide free
shelter for few sisters who spent the
best part of their youthful sweating for the Church, but want to quit.
CCV also join Valson, and beg our readers to show there are more than hundred
among you,our generous readers to accept a Sister ousted from her Convent!
Shocking Recollection!
When I returned home I recounted the magnificent
example Valson set for the whole crowd,
to my own better half Agnes. But her response kept me shocked, spell-bound,
wondering and recollecting because she said: “Why we
did it some 40 years ago while living in a rented
house at Kannanmoola, Trivandrum,
working for Pulikunnel’s Hosanna? Then we were just a nuclear family
of just
three: we two plus little Santhimol.
Only then I could recollect we two had offered
to be witnesses for the civil marriage of Fr.Simon Kottoor and Sr.Kuttiyama,
both belonging to Kottayam dioces and we to Palai, for their civil marriage and
housed them in our rented house with two of us and with little Santhimole only.
Not only we housed them for their first
night but for months we treated them like brother and sister, until they could
find a more comfortable accommodation. That is a long story.
Better half, better memory
Both of them later migrated to California,USA,
had two children and Fr. Simon died a couple of years ago. Every time I go to
US I used to call him and keep very cordial relationship with them. What I
failed to remember, my better half did. Three cheers
to her. What a cute world we are living in, with zeros and heroes, with know-nothings and know-alls!
That is what makes this world go round
smoothly in spite of so many tragedies and comedies!
But THNKS, most of all to my FRIEND and our
friend VALSON and to Vanchi Square and all of you supporting Sr. LUCY and our
common cause to create humane HUNANITY for which JESUS was born and dwelt among us destined to live
as brothers and sisters only, to create a heaven on Earth. May that dream come
true, shall we pray? There is a silver lining in the darkest sky amidst all the frightening thunder and shower of
tears (the foolish Gods weeping?).
Leap for the Moon!
Hoping
against Hope, we all must proceed and work for a better future here on earth because “United we
stand, divided we fall!” Let “Dum Spiro, spero”
(Hope we must as long as we breath) be
our motto, our driving force in LIFE to leap for nothing less than the moon in
the heavens!