Education row: Ministers call on Cardinal Vithayathil

Kochi, Aug 4 (UNI) In a bid to pacify Church leaders, angered by the LDF Government's perceived moves to ''infringe on minority rights'' in the education sector, a group of ministers called on the head of the Syro-Malabar Church Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil here last night.

Education Minister M A Baby, Fisheries Minister S Sarma, Public Works Minister T U Kuruvilla and Forest Minister Benoy Viswom called on Cardinal Vithayathil at Bishop's House.

Cardinal Vithayathil told UNI here today that the Catholic Church's concerns about recent moves by the government in the education sector were conveyed to Mr Baby and the other ministers.

''We have not hit upon a final solution yet. But, there was an interesting and useful exchange of views. The government is not for a confrontation,'' Cardinal Vithayathil said.

The Cardinal had on Sunday last issued a pledge, which was administered at almost 300 churches of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Diocese, vowing to resist government efforts to encroach on minority rights and declaring that the people were willing to make any sacrifice for this.

After meeting the Cardinal, Mr Baby said the government had promised to hold talks with all stakeholders before any changes were made to the Kerala Education Rules and the Church's concerns would be addressed.

He said it was also conveyed to the Cardinal that the Church's apprehensions over the handing over of government and government-aided schools to local bodies were unfounded.

Agitated over the move by the government to hand over government-aided schools to panchayats and the handling of admissions to self-financing professional colleges, Cardinal Vithayathil and other archbishops of the Syro-Malabar Church had last month warned the Government of a ''second liberation struggle'' in the state.

It was the Christian-backed 'liberation struggle' which had helped to overthrow the world's first democratically elected Communist Government in Kerala in 1959.

In a statement issued on July ten, Cardinal Vithayathil had asked the government to avoid ''a painful situation'' from ''indirectly or directly victimising'' Church institutions.

UNI