Catholic Church to join with other denominations

KOCHI: The Catholic Church in Kerala is all set to go ahead with the concept of large families. In a new initiative, the Church is planning to join hands with  other Christian denominations in the state to promote the concept of ‘large family’.   This was one of the major topics of discussion at the meeting of Christian Bishops held at the Pastoral Orientation Centre (POC) here. The meeting was held as part of the annual conference of the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC).The move gains significance in the backdrop of the tough protest raised by various Christian denominations over the  Justice  Krishna Iyer-led Panel’s Women’s Code Bill 2011, which suggests penalty and jail term for a couple who go for a third child. The bishops of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Mar Thoma Syrian Church and CSI Church were present at the meeting.  Presenting a paper on ‘Concept of Life in Christian Perspective’ at the Bishops meeting, Fr Jose Kottayil, secretary of KCBC’s Family Commission, emphasised on the need for unity among various Christian denominations. “The response from the bishops of other Churches was encouraging. There was a serious discussion on working in unity to protect life. However, we are yet to reach a conclusion regarding  how to implement such decisions,” Fr Jose Kottayil said.He said society should change its mindset towards the initiative of the Catholic Church to promote large families.