No untouchability towards BJP; ‘Vicharadhara’ an old book, approach it holistically: Orthodox bishop

Thrissur: Geevarghese Mar Yulios, the metropolitan bishop of Kunnamkulam Diocese of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, here on Wednesday said that the church has no 'untouchability' towards BJP and RSS.

Speaking to media persons about his earlier comments in support of the BJP, Mar Yulios said, “A group of people who mock India by saying that it does not have religious freedom, is approaching the international media to write about it. They propagate that Christians and others are being attacked here.”

Adding that he often receives calls from abroad asking whether people are being killed or beaten up in our country, the bishop said, “India is a big country and it's only natural for tensions to occur in some areas or others. Legal action must be taken in such cases and protests should also be staged when necessary.”

He said there are communal organisations in all religions, but religions do not have the goals of such groups.

Mar Yulios also asserted that he was not the spokesperson of the Orthodox church. “Everyone has individual freedom. However, my individual freedom will never go against the general trend of the church,” he said. 

On the attack of the critics of 'Church-BJP alliance' by quoting the 'anti-minority' statements in the book 'Bunch of Thoughts' by RSS ideologue MS Golwalkar, Mar Yulios said the book was written five decades ago and a lot have been changed after that. "In our Church, we do not pick sentences at random from the Bible. We approach it as a whole," he added.

Furthermore, the bishop said that the youth movement of the Church has not levelled any official allegations against Health Minister Veena George in connection with the Church bill.

On Tuesday, Mar Yulios, in conversation with the BJP president of the Kerala central zone, opined that blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for all the "skirmishes" in India was unfair, as India is a multicultural country and it is natural for some conflicts to arise among communities.