Subject: Fwd: Fr. Paul Kottackal
May 12, 15
Mar Jacob Angadiath
Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago
Dear Bishop Jacob,
Greetings from Beeville, Corpus Christi! I hope you are doing well.May I bring something to your notice that I believe is worth getting your immediate attention. Please don’t think otherwise, I love the Syro-Malabar Church of USA. I consider it a big blessing that I could work for our Church as one of the pioneers.
These days some members of the Syro-Malabar community called me over the telephone to make enquiries and to seek some clarification on certain issues. They called me perhaps because I worked in the Syro-Malabar parishes and in American parishes and in hospitals at the same time. What they wanted to know was whether I accepted double salary at anytime, and whether there was any official rules promulgated by the diocese regarding priests’ stipend, salary, benefits etc. I told them to refer the manual published by the diocese. They say their understanding is that some pastors/directors of the Syro-Malabar diocese are drawing money from the church account on different headings very cleverly, and it is more than what is due to them. I told them that I could not believe that priests did it. I am told in some parishes there are very strong rumors and gossips about this, and people believed it. They are of the opinion, it might explode one day.
Besides, they believe there are priests who do two full time jobs simultaneously, and draw salary for both. How this could be? When a priest is given full salary and benefits he is supposed to work for the parish full time. If he feels that there is no sufficient work for him in the parish, and he is doing other work outside, people believe, he has no right to draw full salary from the parish. My understanding is that a pastor is appointed for twenty four hours. I wonder if anybody in the secular world could do like this. If it is true about any Syro-Malabar priest it has to be discouraged. Whenever I worked in the Syro-Malabar parishes and in other institutions at the same time, perhaps I have had received in total an amount slightly greater than what is given for a full time pastor. I think the authorities of the diocese have an obligation to make an objective and elaborate study on this, and do the needful. No faithful shall doubt the integrity of any of our priests. They shall never get an impression that their priests are money mongers, and their ministry is for financial gain. For an infant diocese like that of ours such an impression will be destructive, and it will weaken the faith of the next generation.
I am also told there are Syro-Malabar priests who do not accept any stipend for any paraliturgical ceremonies, sacramental etc on the ground that salary and other benefits are given to them as stipend for all these pastoral activities. I appreciate them. Let there be more priests like them though I have not done like that.
I am saddened that some of our priests had to quit the diocese these days. Considering the total number of the priests working in the diocese their number is very very high. It is all the more shameful that these priests were holding high positions in the diocese, and were working in leading parishes. I believe proper action taken at the proper time would have saved the diocese from its shock. It is a setback in the history of the diocese. Perhaps it would be difficult to prove certain allegations leveled against some of them. And technically authorities will be able to justify themselves on this ground. But it would not be like that if the authorities shy away from the accusation propped up on financial matters against priests. I wish and pray that you would take this issue very seriously, and make the people know that all our priests are just in their financial dealings. If you are not doing it, it may lead to another scandal which will certainly tell upon your credibility as well as the good name of all the priests. We shall not under estimate the power of modern social media.
I am doing well though not fully recovered from sickness. But it does not hinder any pastoral work, and I am busy too. Please keep me in your prayers.
Yours friendly in Jesus,
Fr. Paul Kottackal
Good letter fr
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