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Centuries after the systematic annihilation of Buddhism in India, it was the western Christian missionaries who contributed to the education of Indians. Soon, the term pallikoodam was mistakenly taken to mean "church house." Since then, the term "palli" has been commonly used to refer to a church or a mosque.

Recently the Christian church and educational institutions run by Christian missionaries have been in the newspapers in Kerala for the wrong reasons. A Catholic nun known as Sister Jesmi was the principal of the prestigious St. Mary's College in Thrissur, Kerala. With a doctorate in English literature, she was revered in the academic community as a fine teacher with open views about the society where she teaches and lives.

As a nun in the Congregation of Mother Carmel church, Sister Jesmi had taken a vow of poverty, prayer and education. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, also known as St. Benedict of India, who established the first seven monasteries in India established the CMC congregation, which was the first such institution to educate women in India.

However with the passage of time, the church, particularly the Syro-Malabar Church of India, distanced itself from poverty. The CMC congregation like many other affiliates of the Syro-Malabar Church runs educational institutions in India that only the rich and influential can afford to send their children. Jesmi was against this and started publically speaking against this “business” approach of her own congregation.

It did not take long for the CMC congregation to consider her a hindrance to the “business” of the congregation. She was reportedly asked by her superiors to refrain from addressing public functions, which she refused. Soon she was asked to step down as principal of the college. The superiors reportedly spread rumors alleging that she was mentally ill.

Jesmi tried to meet the mother superior of the congregation, but was refused an appointment. Fed up with the continuous insults, at the age of 51, after 26 years as a nun, Jesmi resigned from the church.

Jesmi's story is not a unique incident in India. Disgruntlement inside and outside the church due to its businesslike approach is very common. Yet, for a nun to resign and call a press conference to explain the reasons is extremely rare.

Education has long been a full-fledged business in India. Leading the way and setting new trends in this business are Christian institutions. Take for example the professional educational institutions run by Christian missionary establishments in Kerala state.

The Jubilee Mission Hospital in Thrissur is one example. The mission hospital was converted into a medical college recently. Since it is under private management – the church – it could demand whatever admission fees it liked.

The latest reports are that the management of the Jubilee Mission Medical College demands an admission fee from students ranging from 5 to 7 million rupees (US$113,000 to US$158,000) per student.

According to Indian standards, for parents to pay such huge sums of money for their children’s education, they must either have an illegal source of income or they must be defrauding the tax department. By accepting such black money, the church is not only conniving with tax defrauders, but is also causing a serious dent in the state's economy.

The fact that parents are willing to pay such huge sums of money to church-run institutions means they feel safe that details of their payments will not be divulged by the church to the government. That means the church is also engaged in accounting fraud.

So much for the Christian churches, founded on the philosophy of poverty and sacrifice. Churches run other business establishments as well, ranging from professional music studios to petty chit funds. As of now the churches in India have become synonymous with corporate business.

Obviously such business interests can only survive in a society that has the least possible concept of justice. With so many corrupt business interests at stake, the Christian church needs to promote corruption. For this, the church shamelessly rallies behind corrupt politicians and bureaucrats.

For example a high-ranking police officer in Kerala – notorious for corrupt practices and recently found at fault for torturing innocent persons in custody – is a close associate of the Catholic Church in Kerala. In fact this officer was earlier known for composing church hymns in Malayalam.

The Christian church has long been an ingredient in the toxic concoction of power, religion and politics of the country. Church leaders in India are known for their close association with corrupt politicians and police officers. Using this influence the church wards off anything and everything that opposes its business interests. One such example is the case concerning a retreat center in a place called Potta, near the Chalakudi Township in Kerala.

The retreat center is well known among believers as a detoxification center for drug abusers and alcoholics. Slightly more than a decade ago it was a small retreat center run in a thatched shed; it has now become a huge establishment. It is alleged that some of the inmates were prescribed medicines by priests at the center who had no licenses to practice medicine. The patients were prescribed medicines and prayers alike, making them believe that such treatment would cure life-threatening conditions like cancer and AIDS. This is illegal and a crime under Indian law.

When the police took action against the retreat center after receiving a complaint concerning unauthorized medical treatment, the church retorted by claiming that it was an infringement of religious freedom. The church organized state-wide protests to oppose the police enquiry. Students studying in Christian educational institutions were forced to take to the street to protest against the highhandedness of the state.

It is incidents like these that Sister Jesmi protested and against which she voiced her concern. But her superiors had turned a blind eye to this corruption due to religious fundamentalism and the luxuries that the business of religion brought in.

Students at her former school will miss Jesmi, but the Christian church will not. For the church, individuals like her are not devoted nuns or priests – they are a bad investment in a large enterprise.

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(Bijo Francis is a human rights lawyer currently working with the Asian Legal Resource Center in Hong Kong. He is responsible for the South Asia desk at the center. Mr. Francis has practiced law for more than a decade and holds an advanced master's degree in human rights law.)