Kerala Orthodox Bishop Slams PM Modi, Delhi Christmas Event

A senior Orthodox Church Bishop in Kerala criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent attendance at Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI). In a Facebook post, Metropolitan Yuhanon Meletius of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church remarked, "There, they honour the bishops and revere the crib. Here, they destroy the cribs. Something (we) say for this style in Malayalam." His comments referred to two incidents involving disruptions at Christmas celebrations in Palakkad.

In one case, three VHP leaders, led by Palakkad district secretary K Anil Kumar, allegedly questioned teachers at the Government Upper Primary School in Nallepilly during Christmas celebrations. They inquired why Krishna Janmashtami was not being celebrated instead of Christmas and why the teachers were dressed as Santa Claus. The VHP leaders were subsequently booked under various sections of the BNS Act.

In a separate incident, a crib set up at the Government Basic School in Thathamangalam was found vandalized. The school had been closed for Christmas holidays, and the police have since launched an investigation.

Meanwhile, as part of the BJP’s ongoing outreach efforts, party leaders have been visiting bishops in Kerala through a program called the "Sneha Yatra" (Love Journey). BJP state president K Surendran condemned the attacks, calling them part of a broader conspiracy to harm the party's relationship with the Christian community. “Action should be taken against culprits. This should be seen as part of a larger ploy to shatter the BJP’s relations with the Christian community. Our stand is very clear and sincere. Last year, when BJP Wayand district president (K Madhu) termed the priests (who protested against wildlife attacks) as terrorists in cassock, we had removed him from the post,” said Surendran.

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