Christian Priest Returns Church Service Licence To Visit Sabarimala Temple

A Christian priest in Kerala returned his church licence for performing pastoral services following a row over him observing the 41-day abstinence followed by Lord Ayyappa devotees to offer prayers at the famous Sabarimala shrine.

Rev Manoj KG, a priest under the Anglican Church of India, has been observing the 41-day-long traditional 'vratham' as part of his plans to go to the temple on a pilgrimage later this month.

"When the church came to know about it, they said such conduct was unacceptable and sought an explanation from me as to why I violated its doctrines and rules.

"So, instead of offering an explanation, I returned the ID card and licence given to me by the church when I took up priesthood," he told PTI.

He also admitted that what he did was against the rules and doctrines of the Anglican Church of India.

The priest said that his work was not based on the doctrines of the church, instead it was based on the "Lord's" doctrines.

"God has asked to love everyone irrespective of their caste, creed, religion or beliefs. Loving others also includes joining their activities. So you can decide whether you want to follow the church doctrine or the doctrine of God.

"Whether you love God or the church, you can decide," he said in an apparent video response on Facebook to those who criticised his decision to take the 41-day abstinence.

He also said that by 'church' he means the traditional, made-made customs.

Manoj was a software engineer before he took up priesthood.

He said that he took up priesthood in order to give authenticity to his spiritual teachings.

Visuals showing him wearing a customary black attire used by Ayyappa devotees recently surfaced online.

The priest said as the news came out, triggering a controversy, a section of members of his community criticised him and the church authorities asked him about his plans.

"My denomination has its own rules, regulations and norms. They could not accept what I have done...Questions have come up," he said.

Manoj said he decided to give back to the church the licence it had given him to perform ritual services in order to fulfil his dream of offering prayers at Sabarimala.

"The decision was taken as they demanded an explanation. I don't want to cause them any difficulty because of my Sabarimala visit. I can understand their position," he added.

Manoj, however, added that although the licence to perform church services has been given back, he would continue as a priest under the church.

He said he would go ahead with his 'vratham' and there is no change in his temple visit plan. Manoj said he is planning to visit the Sabarimala shrine on September 20.

"I strongly believe that I have not done anything wrong. My intention is to understand Hinduism beyond its rituals, just as I did in the case of Christianity," he said.

Church authorities were not available for comment.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)