Catholic priest in Kerala joins BJP, church removes him from vicar duties
Idukki (PTI): A Catholic priest under the Idukki diocese of the Syro-Malabar church was relieved of his duties as vicar on Monday, hours after he joined the BJP.
Fr Kuriakose Mattam received the primary membership of the BJP from the party's Idukki district president K S Aji on Monday. Within hours, the Idukki diocese initiated action against him.
The church said Fr Mattom has been temporarily relieved of parish duties at the Mankuva St Thomas church near Adimali.
"Father Kuriakose Mattam of Mankuva church has been temporarily relieved of his duties as vicar," a statement by the Idukki Diocese said.
A church spokesperson told PTI that the disciplinary action was taken as under Canon Law, a priest of the church cannot join or have active participation in any political party. The 74-year-old priest will retire in a few months, a church source said.
The priest joined the BJP at a time when the catholic church had been attacking the party over the Manipur violence.
In a Facebook post, Aji shared the images of the priest and said Fr Mattam has joined the BJP after "observing the current situation" in the country.
In a video, the priest said that he could not find any reason not to join the BJP.
"I follow contemporary issues. I don't find any reason not to join the BJP. I have friendships with many BJP workers. Today I received a membership. I have read from the newspapers and have an understanding of the BJP in the country," the priest said.
Aji said the entry of the Christian priest into the BJP is a reply to those who criticise the party over the Manipur issue.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
