Kerala woman refused burial citing son’s poor church attendance

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In a shocking case of outright cruelty and religious apathy, a Catholic woman was refused proper burial by church authorities citing her son’s attendance shortage in the church.

M P Leelamaa was cremated on Sunday at her house in the Uzhava area of Kerala’s Alappuzha district by her son, S Shiju, under the guidance of a local temple priest, reports Indian Express.

According to Shiju authorities of St. Ann’s Church in Uzhava directed him to submit an apology letter for the lack of attendance when he approached them to facilitate Leelamaa’s burial.

As Shiju did not fall for the Church’s tantrum, he was directed to take his mother’s corpse elsewhere and subsequently the young man decided to conduct the funeral in their own house.

The cremation ritual were completed as per Hindu traditions.

Leelamaa was reportedly a regular churchgoer.

The church priest told the newspaper that permission for the funeral had been refused due to his “stubbornness” and since he did not attend church regularly.

On the other hand this isn’t the first time a church in Kerala has made headlines for this reason.

Earlier this, Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra’s paternal grandmother was denied a burial at the St. John Attamangalam Church in Kottayam on the ground that she married a Hindu and led a non-Christian way of life.

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