Remy Denis, president of the AICU -- which represents the Catholic laity of India through 120 Diocesan units nationwide -- said that questions were beginning to be asked about the church's management of its estates.

'We all revere the bishop as our guide on matters of faith and morals, but not in matters of property,' Denis said, specifying that his views should not be construed as representative of the AICU.

He added that the Roman Catholic church in India was 'suffering from aplenty'.

'At the moment the Roman Catholic church in India has five times the number of priests as compared to the rest of the world, its budget is equivalent to that of the Indian Navy and it is the second largest employer after the government of India,' Denis said.

The demand for a law to govern the properties of the church assumes significance in face of recent public criticism in the media and by the Roman Catholic laity here, who have accused the Goan church of stonewalling queries about high value coastal properties in its care, which have been have allegedly been sold off to real estate developers.