Bengaluru: Church refuses final rites for woman

Bengaluru: A tug-of-war between the devotees of Vishwanatha Nagenahalli Church in RT Nagar and Archbishop Bernard Moras led to a delay in the final rites of an elderly woman in the area. On Monday, freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy visited the church and appealed to the Archbishop to find an amicable solution to the issue. Members of the local Christian community said that a woman, Chinnamma, died two days ago and her relatives brought her body to the church for the final rites. But as all religious ceremonies have been suspended at the church for nearly three months after the orders of the Archbishop, the body was kept near the Church.

Local residents and relatives of the deceased woman said that they will bury the body only after all the rituals are conducted at the church. Mr Doreswamy, who visited the church on Monday, requested the Archbishop to pardon everyone. "Everyone is a Christian and the Archbishop should pardon them and ensure that body is cremated soon," he said. "The court has directed the Archbishop to open the Church for prayers and all other religious ceremonies. It is the duty of the Archbishop to protect the rights of the Christians who are demanding a Kannada priest," he said.