Thalassery church relieved after MHA says no information on any ‘Gabriel Sena’

KOCHI: Thalassery diocese was caught in a controversy after reports surfaced about it raising a unit of retired military and paramilitary men called “Gabriel Sena” for furthering the Church’s interests.

But the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has now put to rest all the controversies saying the Centre has no information about any such unit.

It was in November 2019 that the diocese got embroiled in the controversy after reports said the Catholic Church in Kerala had formed a unit of retired military and paramilitary men called Gabriel Sena in the archdiocese of Thalassery and it will hold its first meeting at Taliparamba in Kannur on November 15.

The reports also quoted Fr Mathew Ashariparambil as the Gabriel Sena director and he confirmed that the retired military and paramilitary men should become “guardians of faith and warriors of ideals”.

Though the diocese clarified that the group was specifically formed for crowd management at the farmers’ agitation meet to be held on December 9 in Kannur and had nothing to do with the Church’s religious activities, many raised allegations that the Church was trying to raise a radical outfit.  

Now that the MHA had denied existence of any such unit, the Thalassery Diocese has heaved a sigh of relief saying they are happy that the issue has got settled. “We formed a group of volunteers specifically for the conduct of the farmers’ meet and someone suggested that we can call the group ‘Gabriel Sena’. A few interpreted it wrong and started spreading false information,” said Thalassery diocese spokesperson Fr Thomas Thengumpally.

The MHA came out with its version when a question was raised in the Parliament seeking details about the “Gabriel Sena”.

To the query whether the Centre is aware of the fact that the Church in Kerala has formed Gabriel Sena consisting of military and paramilitary retired personnel and if so, the details thereof, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy replied that “no such information came to the notice of the government”.