Kerala: Demand to reform practice of confession in Church

KOCHI: The women members of the Kerala Church Action Council will stage a dharna in front of the state secretariat on July 7 to protest against the exploitation of women in the Church in the name of sacrament of confession. “In the light of the recent incidents,  including the scandal in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, it is high time that  the state took action against practices like the sacrament of confession that leaves women vulnerable to abuse,” said Indulekha Joseph of Kerala Church Action Council. 

“While it is not stated in the Bible that the  confession should be done in the presence of a priest, there are many women who find difficulty in discontinuing a practice which has been observed for  many generations.  Hence, nuns should be allowed to conduct the confession for women to stop the chances of it being misused,”  she told  a press conference here on Saturday.      She had  already staged a protest in front of Major Archbishop’s House in Ernakulam.

“I didn’t get a positive response from the Church. Cardinal Mar George Alencherry felt that  women who try to seduce priests during confession are involved in incidents of exploitation,” said Indulekha. Another method  which will help  prevent exploitation of women is reintroducing ‘Pizhamoolal,’  a way of confession which was practised in early times. “The  believers get  absolved of  their  sins by recounting them in their mind and ask  for forgiveness in the presence of a priest. But the current system requires the person to confess the sins vocally. To let a male priest listen to the intimate confessions of a woman believer gives him control over her.  He  can use the information in whichever way he  wants,” she said.