What happened?
The divisions among India’s Syro-Malabar priests have been laid bare, after Cardinal George Alencherry, the leader of the Syro-Malabar Church, tried to draw a line under a financial controversy.
Cardinal Alencherry issued a letter to his diocese denying claims of mishandling money. But many priests refused to read it out.
Why was it under-reported?
The explanation seems fairly simple: the case affects a part of the Catholic community which is often overlooked, and it is also highly complex. The cardinal was accused of selling land at a low price. But India’s bishops have cleared him of any wrongdoing. “We know there is no truth in the allegations against the cardinal. It might be possible there were some procedural errors, but it was not a case of a big scam,” a spokesman said.
