TN bishops resist Jaya largesse

Selecting a few beneficiaries would create ‘‘unnecessary mental agony’’ to those left out, particularly in the rural areas. Morever, the selection of a few churches might lead to ‘‘unnecessary split’’ among the Catholic churches in the state, the council said.

The Bishops’ Council also said that providing free noon meal in churches on a regular basis, that too at government expense, was not the custom of Christianity and might hinder the sanctity, cleanliness and peace at places of worship. Chances of prayers becoming ‘‘meaningless’’ were high as it would not be possible to differentiate between ‘‘true devotees and those who visited the churches only to take food’’. It might also lead to governmental interference in the affairs of churches later, the bishops said.

In what was seen as a pro-Hindu gesture, Jayalalithaa introduced the Annadhaan scheme in temples in March 2002, a year after her victory in the assembly elections in alliance with the Congress. She even began donating her monthly salary to a select temple every month. The move was seen as an attempt by Jayalalithaa to appease the Sangh Parivar in the run-up to the 2004 Lok Sabha election, for which she eventually aligned with the BJP. The scheme was later introduced in 12 dargahs as well, with poor Muslim devotees being fed once a day.

On December 25, Jayalalithaa formally launched the scheme at a city church, promising to extend it gradually to 100 churches in the state.

The Tamil Nadu bishops said that instead of extending the scheme to Catholic churches, it would be better if the government provided rice and other essential commodities at subsidised rates to the orphanages, homes for the aged and disabled and students hostels run by the Church.