Wed Apr 09 18:37:00 UTC 2025: ## Syro-Malabar Church Denounces False Claims of Vast Land Ownership
**KOCHI, April 10, 2025** – The Syro-Malabar Church has strongly condemned what it calls false and unfounded allegations regarding its land ownership in India. These allegations, which appeared in the RSS mouthpiece *Organiser* and were subsequently amplified in certain media outlets, claim the Catholic Church owns a staggering 17.29 crore acres of land. Father Antony Vadakkekara, the Church’s official spokesman, denounced these figures as a deliberate attempt to create religious division and gain political advantage.
In a YouTube message, Father Vadakkekara refuted the claims, stating that the data cited was fabricated and not sourced from the Government of India website as alleged. He clarified that the Church’s numerous dioceses and religious orders own properties independently, not under a single entity. These properties, he explained, were either granted by authorities, donated by individuals, or legally purchased.
Father Vadakkekara highlighted the extensive social work undertaken by the Catholic Church, including the operation of thousands of schools, colleges, universities, and medical facilities, serving lakhs of people daily. He emphasized that the Church would not be deterred from its mission by such baseless accusations. The Church’s social services, he argued, demonstrate its commitment to the public good and contradict the malicious narrative presented by the false land ownership claims.
First Piper 