PM Modi meets Kerala's church leaders; attacks on Christians discussed

Kochi: The attacks on Christians in the country -- an issue raised by bishops in north India with the President -- was among the subjects discussed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met leaders of various churches in Kerala on Monday.

The PM's meeting with the church leadership at Taj Vivanta holds much significance as it comes at a time the BJP has launched an outreach to influence minorities in the state ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Modi met eight top spiritual leaders of Kerala churches, including the head of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Cardinal George Alencherry, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church head Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, Syrian Orthodox Church head Baselios Marthoma Mathews III and Metropolitan Trustee of the Jacobite Church Joseph Mor Gregorios.

The Prime Minister also met the senior priest of the Latin Catholic Church Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparambil, Archbishop of Knanaya Church Mathew Moolakkatt, Archbishop of the Knanaya Jacobite Archdiocese Kuriakose Mar Severios, and Metropolitan of the Chaldean Syrian Church Mar Awgin Kuriakose, BJP sources said.

BJP state president K Surendran said the meeting was friendly in nature. "The matters that would benefit the state in the future were discussed," said Surendran.

As part of BJP's outreach campaign, the state leaders had recently participated in Easter and Eid celebrations with Christian and Muslim families respectively.

Earlier on the day, PM Modi inaugurated 'Yuvam', a youth conclave at the Sacred Heart College Ground at Thevara in Kochi.