Kannur: Attempts to trap girls in relationships feigning love are on the rise, Syro-Malabar Archbishop of Tellicherry Mar Joseph Pamplany cautioned on Sunday.

In his Easter message, Pamplany, who recently courted controversy after he publicly promised to support the BJP if the Union Government hiked the procurement price of rubber, also touched upon the evil of the dowry system and the need for gender equality.

"Daughters, like sons, have equal rights in their father’s wealth. The woman is not a commodity that should be bought through bargaining at the time of marriage. The community is yet to properly follow the Supreme Court order that daughters have equal rights in their father’s wealth. The women are being neglected both in the diocese and the community," the Metropolitan Archbishop said in his pastoral letter for Easter.

"If daughters receive equal rights, then the lavishness, especially on jewelry, at the time of the marriage can be avoided," he said.

The letter also cautioned against lavish weddings. "It’s undesirable to hold grand wedding functions using the money received from brides' parents. The share a woman receives from her ancestral wealth can be saved for the security of future generations," it said.

Pamplany said the failure of men to realise that women themselves are the real wealth is the reason why some men remain bachelors. "The dowry system not only adversely affects women but also men too. There are nearly 4,000 men over the age of 35 who want to get married but remain single. Some of them say that the marriage proposals they received when they were young did not materialise due to dowry-related issues."

"As for the women, some of them are forced to wait, even if they have good jobs, till they generate enough wealth to pay dowry. The incidents of domestic violence and the discrimination against girls are vices that upset the godly visions of family life. Proper care should be taken to prevent the eyes of mothers, sisters, and daughters from getting filled," Archbishop Pamplany said in his pastoral letter.