Thrissur: Kerala Catholic Bishops` Council on Sunday directed the faithful not to vote for atheists and promoters of communalism in the April 10 polls to the Lok Sabha from Kerala.

In a pastoral letter read out in all churches coming under KCBC, it prescribed certain dos and do-nots for the faithful in exercising their franchise.

It asked eligible voters to cast their votes as it was a "process of nation building."

They should not vote for atheists and promoters of communalism, it said.

"You should take care that your representative in the Lok Sabha should be dedicated to protect basic human rights and ensure welfare of the marginalised and poor sections of society, women and Dalit Christians," the letter said.

The letter was issued on the lines of another pastoral letter by the Catholic Bishops` Conference of India recently.

Both letters had made it clear that the Catholic Church did not align with any political party.

There are about 65 lakh Catholics under the jurisdiction of the KCBC, its spokesman Fr Stephen Alathara said.

Meanwhile, Anto Kokkat, General Secretary of the Joint Christian Council (JCC)- a Federation of 15 Christian organisations, described the pastoral letters as `interference of religion` with the election process.

Kokkat, in a letter to the Election Commission urged it to take urgent steps to avoid publicising and propagating the pastoral letters as they were `politically motivated` aimed at influencing the electorate.