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Feuds in Church of North India meet

     Ranchi (Jharkhand): The 12th Synod or the supreme body of Churches in North India being held in Ranchi has turned into a battleground to settle narrow factional gains. Some disgruntled elements of the office bearers of the Church have formed a forum called People's Synod. The new faction has alleged misappropriation of funds by the Church authorities and deviation from stated policies. After a protest demonstration by the dissident groups against the functioning of the churches, the police intervened and arrested 300 protesters last evening but released them afterwards. Today despite strong police presence the protesters organised a " fast unto death" and promised to intensify their agitating in the coming days.

     "The CNI is being run as a private limited company. The people who run it are behaving as Managing Directors of cooperative sector. There is no transparency in it. We have been demanding for a detailed report on the properties they have sold in the last 35 years. But the information is not forthcoming," said Rajendra Sayal, convener of People's Synod. But the authorities of the Church of North India stoutly counter the allegation and say that the governing body is constituted after an elaborate election procedure. "They are representatives of the people, village and city. If these people want to prevent the election procedure, then I think it is extra-constitutional. We have a set of rule which governs us," said Joel Vidya Sagar Mal, Deputy Moderator, CNI. The Synod held every three years has declined into a contest to control the vast assets of the Church of North India. The warring factions sadly have no time to for the running of the churches and chalking out future strategies to govern the churches.