Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) and other Christian forums have reacted strongly to alleged remarks made by Culture Minister Saji Cherian and former minister K.T. Jaleel on Christmas celebrations convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
KCBC spokesman Jacob Palakkappilly said the remarks made against the bishops, who participated in the Christmas get-together in Delhi, were unbecoming of a minister. He said both Mr. Cherian and Mr. Jaleel appeared to be using the same dictionary when it came to making remarks against the Christmas celebrations and those who attended the celebrations.
Kerala’s Culture Minister should have deployed more wisdom and respectability in his words when commenting on the Christmas celebrations convened by the Prime Minister. His opinion that the bishops were gripped by excitement on getting the invitation was cheap and lacked any depth, said Joseph Jude, spokesman for the Latin Catholic Church in the State. The invitation from the Prime Minister was accepted as part of democratic conventions in the country, he said.
