Concerns about ‘love traps’, gender equality, dowry system in Pamplany’s pastoral letter for Easter

Kannur: Metropolitan Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany of Tellicherry Archdiocese, Syro-Malabar Church, addresses "love traps," dowry system, and equal property rights for men and women, in his pastoral letter. 

Pamplany expresses concern over the alarming incidents of "love traps" targeting girls. The pastoral letter, to be read in parish churches on Easter, also emphasises the need for gender equality in handing over the ancestral properties and calls for an end to the dowry system.

Pamplany laments the lack of respect for women in Indian society and the church, and criticises the patriarchal mindset fueled by muscle power. He emphasises that women should be seen as valuable assets and not as commodities in marriage. The pastoral letter urges society to reject the practice of linking marriage with wealth and calls for an end to this misogynistic tradition.

The letter also highlights that daughters have equal rights to inheritance as sons, as per the Supreme Court ruling, and calls on society to fully understand and implement this principle. Pamplany believes that ensuring equal inheritance rights for daughters will help curb the extravagance of jewellery at the time of marriage.

While some priests in the church have sparked controversy by echoing the concerns over the bogey of "Love Jihad," Pamplany refrains from using the term coined by Sangh Parivar organisations, although he has expressed concern about certain mixed marriages in the past.

In a recent statement, Pamplany also mentioned that the church would support the BJP in winning a Lok Sabha seat from Kerala if the party can ensure a fair price of Rs 300 for a kilo of rubber.