KOZHIKODE: The reformist Catholic Laymen's Association (CLA) has decided to strengthen its activities in the wake of the Church neglect of the nuns' agitation over the rape allegations against bishop Franco Mulakkal.
Catholic Laymen's Association secretary M.L. George told DC that the organisation had been getting calls from believers from various parishes seeking to form a unit of the organisation there. "We are planning to expand our activities and the procedures will be finalised soon," he said.
Mr George also said that the reformist groups will mobilise public opinion against the rich lifestyle of a few Church heads. "They run granite mines on Church land, lease out/sell/mortgage Church properties and treat believers as well as nuns very poorly," he pointed out.
A delegation of CLA has visited Sr Lucy expressing solidarity with the nun against whom the Church initiated disciplinary action for participating in the agitation of the nuns in Kochi.
The organisation has been campaigning demanding the implementation of the Church Act and bringing the properties of the Church under state control. It has urged the judiciary as well as the state to enact the Kerala Christian Church Properties and Institutions Trust Bill - 2009, which is pending with the Kerala Law Reforms Committee.
To coordinate the activities of about 20 organisations, a state-level action council named All-Kerala Church Act Action Council also was formed with a 101-member executive committee.
