Bp Jacob Manathodath, apostolic administrator of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese, on April 5 submitted to Rome the enquiry report on the controversial land sale.

The administrator handed over the report to Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, the prefect of the Pontifical Congregation for Oriental Churches, in the Vatican, says a press release from Father Paul Karendan, the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese’s Public Relations Officer.

Cardinal Sandri and Bp Manathodath spent two hours discussing the land sale controversy as well as court case on fake documents against Cardinal Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church, the larger of the two Oriental Catholic rites in India. The 75-year-old Argentinian cardinal said he would study the report seriously and take appropriate action. Until then, the Vatican official wants the content of the report kept confidential, the PRO’s note says quoting Bishop Manathodath.

A series of real estate transactions since 2015 reportedly resulted in financial losses for the archdiocese. On November 29, 2017, Cardinal Alencherry set up a committee to investigate. The committee submitted its report on January 4, 2018.