Kottayam | A prominent Catholic bishop in Kerala has asserted that the Church would not remain silent in the face of insults and that nobody can ask its clergy to be neutral all the time.

Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt made the remarks during his recent address of believers.

Stating that neither bishops nor priests should be seen as mute spectators at all times, he said the Church would not tolerate remarks that cross the limits of decency or seek to denigrate its leadership and clergy in the public sphere.

"Now-a-days, we are hearing that those active in public life are speaking to the media in a manner that insults Church leadership and priests. I don't think such attacks that violate the boundaries of decency are correct," the bishop said while addressing the faithfuls recently.

His remarks come in the backdrop of a controversy triggered by critical comments made by BJP leaders P C George and his son Shone George against certain bishops and the Church-backed Malayalam daily Deepika, over its reported stance favouring the Congress-led UDF ahead of the April 9 Assembly polls.

He also said it was unrealistic to expect bishops and priests to remain neutral at all times, adding that humiliating community leaders and clergy for television attention was unacceptable.

He further said that while expressing opinions, care must be taken to respect the sentiments of believers, warning that failure to do so would be a "grave mistake".

"Attempts to tarnish the dignity of the Church using the language of television debates cannot be accepted, whoever may be behind it," he said, while clarifying that he was not referring to any individual in particular.

At the same time, he welcomed the increasing participation of Church members in politics.

Meanwhile, BJP state vice-president K S Radhakrishnan described the ongoing verbal spat as a "personal rift" between certain leaders and sections of the Church.

Defending the statements made by the party leaders, he said they were responding to political remarks made by members of the clergy.

"If Church heads speak politics and urge people to vote for a particular front, it is natural for other parties to criticise them. They cannot expect the protection of priesthood after speaking politics," he told a television channel.

He also said the BJP had adopted a pro-Christian approach during the Assembly polls, but should give due priority to addressing its Hindu vote base, adding that the party would not compromise on matters related to religious conversions.