Cardinal condemns police raid in Divine Retreat Centre

Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil, C.SS.R.

Function: Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, India

Title: Cardinal Priest of San Bernardo alle Terme

Birthdate: May 29, 1927	Country: India

Elevated: Feb 21, 2001	More information: www.catholic-hierarchy.org

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Cardinal condemns police raid in Divine Retreat Centre
Nov 01, 2006
Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, Major Archbishop of the Syro Malabar Church on Saturday said the raid by the Kerala police on the world famous Divine Retreat Centre was “unnecessary and uncalled for.”

THRISSUR (ICNS, October 15,2006) -- Cardinal Vithayathil who visited the priests and the inmates of the Divine Retreat Center at Muringoor alleged that the police raid at Centre transgressed "all norms of civilized behaviour."

The police had inspected the retreat centre, under the Ernakulam Archdiocese of the Syro Malabar Church, on September 30 following a High Court order to assess its functioning.

The court order came after it received an anonymous letter and two compact discs implicating the Divine Retreat Centre in a series of crimes and irregularities such as murder, rape, foreign exchange violations and running a hospital without proper license.

The Vincentian priests that manage the Centre, which is Asia's largest Catholic charismatic retreat station, have denied the police charge saying the allegations against the Centre are aimed at maligning the good works that the Church is carrying out there.

Officials of the Centre have asked the state government to take steps to end what they describe as police harassment of the center staff and its residents.

Cardinal Vithayathil said it is sad and tragic that allegations that do not have any truth are hurled at the Retreat Center. “We should all know about the great service that the Retreat Center is providing to the people. Here, about 100 aids patients and 400 mentally challenged persons were being cared for,” he said.

The Cardinal also condemned the alleged misbehaviour by police on the Centre inmates during the raid.

The Divine Retreat Centre conducts weekly retreats in six Indian languages and English throughout the year. More than 10,000 people from various religions attend the programs, which begin Sunday evening and end Saturday morning.

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