Thiruvananthapuram, India, Mar 6, 2008 / 20:16 pm
A Catholic archbishop in the southern India state of Kerala distributed free milkshakes on Saturday to protest the rampant spread of alcoholism in the region, UCA News reports.
Archbishop Maria Calist Soosa Pakiam of the Archdiocese of Trivandrum appealed to people of all religions to stay away from alcohol. His appeal was part of a new two-month-long campaign by the Kerala Anti-Liquor Committee, an inter-religious group to which the archbishop belongs.
The archbishop recently inaugurated a milkshake vending machine in the Kerala capital of Thiruvananthapuram. About 100 people attended, drinking the milkshakes in a symbolic gesture against alcoholism.
Archbishop Pakiam has accused the Kerala government of promoting liquor to increase tax revenue. The clergyman met with state officials to warn them about the state’s problem of alcoholism. “They promised many things, but never kept their word. Instead, they have promoted liquor by opening more shops," Archbishop Pakiam said.