Anglo-Indian leader Charles Dias has sought Vatican intervention to stop what he calls the "discrimination" of his community by Church hierarchy in Kerala.

Dias, a parliamentarian, said he met Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana Dec. 1 to explain the discrimination faced by the community, the descendants Europeans and English who married locals since fifteenth century.

Dias is upset that Verapoly archdiocese has not appointed a priest from the community in its Infant Jesus Church. The church known as Parankipally (foreigners' church) is traditionally considered an Anglo Indian parish.

Dais says wants "an urgent intervention" of the Vatican as the community "faces challenges and threats from the hierarchy, who strangely advocates for the protection of minorities."

Dias said the archdiocese also discontinued the convention of appointing an Anglo-Indian priest to the post of either vicar general or chancellor or procurator. It did not even explain the reasons, he said.

He also alleged that the archdiocese has discontinued the convention of reserving to Anglo-Indians one post of vice president to the Archdiocesan Catholic Association. In the recently formed Kerala Region Latin Catholic Council, the representatives of all sub-castes of Latin Catholic community except from Anglo-Indians wee nominated, he says.

Dias, a descendant of the Portuguese like most Anglo-Indians in Kerala, said their numbers are dwindling and the bishops are "enforcing unilateral decisions disadvantageous to Anglo-Indians."

The problems in Infant Jesus Church intensified after April 2007, when the archdiocese issued a notice saying the church "cannot in any way be considered an exclusively Anglo-Indian parish." The notice said the "rights and duties of the non Anglo-Indian community" which has an equally long history with the Anglo-Indians in the parish deserve all respect.

Dias and his people say the church was constructed exclusively for the Anglo-Indians in 1826. The parish should help continue "the good old customs and venerable traditions" of the community.

Archdiocesan chancellor Father Varghese Valiyaparambil said the Church administration aims to manage parishes "more and more in tune with the gospel values of fraternity and equality" to all.

He said the spiritual and pastoral needs of the Anglo-Indian and other communities will be taken care of with due respect to their traditions.