Latin Catholic Church Advocates for Inclusion in Election Manifestos

Efforts to Incorporate Recommendations

As political parties finalize their election manifestos, the Latin Catholic Church is actively working to integrate the recommendations of the J.B. Koshi Commission. Similar to previous elections, the Church has presented a charter of 15 demands to the manifesto committees of major political fronts, addressing issues ranging from coastal development initiatives to reservations in education and employment. The recent publication of the J.B. Koshi Commission report has strengthened their efforts, which recommends minority benefits for Christians in proportion to their population. This report, released just weeks before the election announcement, includes 284 recommendations that tackle nearly 70% of the community's long-standing demands in areas such as education, employment, reservation policies, and welfare measures. It highlights that, apart from converted Christians, the Latin Catholic community is among the most vulnerable groups.

Community's Long-Term Demands

Joseph Jude, the Vice President and spokesperson of the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Council (KRLC), stated, "Some of our long-term demands have been included in the report as recommendations. While these do not encompass all our requests, they are still favorable for the community." The KRLC is the highest authority for Latin Catholics in Kerala. The Church has made it clear that it will adopt a political stance based on the responses from political parties. In Thiruvananthapuram, where the Latin Church plays a decisive role in seven constituencies, the KRLC plans to organize a 'Meet the Candidates' program.

Evaluating Party Responses

The Latin Catholic Church is also assessing the responses of parties regarding representation. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has made initial inroads through coastal development initiatives and representation in its candidate list. Church representatives noted that the United Democratic Front (UDF) has already proposed candidates in Vypin, where they represent 34% of the voters, as well as in Kochi and Ernakulam.