"Beware of Red Independents, says Church" I thought members on this list would find the enclosed interesting.
Best regards, U. G. Barad Author: VR Jayaraj Publication: The New York Times Date: July 19, 2010 URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/270039/Beware-of-Red-Independents-says-Church.ht ml The Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC), the umbrella body of all Catholic dioceses in the State, gave a clear but indirect call to the believers on Sunday to vote against the communists in the local bodies elections to be held in September. Kerala Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac, a CPI(M) central committee member, responded sharply, saying elections should not be made referendums on faith. A pastoral letter issued by the council and read out in the churches in the State during Sunday Mass, asked the believers to take extra care while voting for Independent candidates propped up by political parties. The letter asked the faithful to ensure that the Independents they chose to vote were not fielded by parties with the atheistic ideology. The Kerala Latin Catholic Association took out a demonstration in Kochi protesting against the pastoral letter, which it termed as "letter of idiocy". A release issued by the KLCA asked the faithful to "recognise the hypocrisy of the prelates who had expelled Christ from the altars by politicising them". The association alleged that such pastoral letters were part of a bid to sabotage the democratic system of the country. Stating that Christians should intervene in politics keeping society welfare in mind, the KCBC pastoral letter said the faithful should vote only for those who stood for democracy and religious tolerance.