An anonymous letter received by a child-line in
Kerala has brought to light a major operation to
cover up the rape of a minor girl by a Catholic
priest in the state with 18 percent Christian
population.
The police foiled the operation by detaining Fr
Robin Vadakkumchery, vicar of St. Sebastians
Church at Kottiyoor in the state’s northern
district of Kannur, while he tried to escape to
Canada on 27 February.
The police recorded the arrest of the 48-year-old
priest, who allegedly raped and impregnated the
16-year-old girl, on Monday and a case slapped
against him under section 376 of Indian Penal
Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from
Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.
The priest, who belongs to the Mananthavady
diocese of Syro-Malabar Church, one of the
three Catholic rites in Kerala, had tried to cover
up the incident by taking the girl to a Church-
run hospital for delivery and thereafter shifting
both the mother and the new-born baby to an
orphanage under the diocese.
Iritty Deputy Superintendent of Police Prajeesh
Thottathil said the hospital authorities had not
reported that the delivery that had taken place
three weeks ago to the authorities. He said that a
case will be registered against them if they have
deliberately hidden the delivery.
The police official, who is heading the
investigating team, said that legal action will
also be taken against the victim’s parents if they
are found to have colluded with the accused in
covering up the incident.
The family had refused to file a police
complaint against the priest, who held many
important positions in the diocese including that
of director of the Church-run daily, ‘Deepika’,
and television channel, Jeevan TV, when Kannur
Child Welfare Committee reported the matter to
the police following a secret investigation into
the information contained in the anonymous
letter received by them.
Committee chairman Mathew Thelliyil told the
Firstpost that their investigation had revealed
that the priest had raped the girl, a Class XII
student of IJM Higher Secondary School,
Kottiyoor, where the priest served as the
manager.
The mother of the victim lodged a complaint
after initial investigation by the police revealed
the crime, but the victim tried to shield the
priest by naming her father as the rapist in
place of the priest. The father, who is a small
farmer, also supported her by owning up to the
crime.
The victim identified the actual culprit after the
investigating team grilled her. The police suspect
that the family may have tried to shield the
priest after they were bribed by the Church
authorities. They also do not rule out the
possibility of intimidation by the Church.
Curiously, the Mananthavady diocese had not
taken any action against the priest until the
police registered the case against him. Mathew
Perumattikunnel, vicar general of the diocese,
claimed that the matter had come to their notice
only after the police took the priest into custody.
However, the Church activists take the claim
with a pinch of salt since the victim had given
birth to the child in the Church-run hospital and
the mother and the new-born baby were
protected in an orphanage under the diocese.
Moreover, the priest had announced during the
mass on Sunday that he was going on leave.
Ex-priest Shibhu Kalamparampil, who was
defrocked after he exposed the sexual abuse and
corruption in the Church in his autobiography,
said that it was difficult to believe that the
victim and her family had tried to shield the
priest without the knowledge of the higher
authorities in the Church.
“I strongly believe that the family may have
tried to hush up the rape after pressure was
mounted on them from top echelons in the
Church. A priest alone will not be able to cover
up such a serious crime,” he said adding that the
Church has been mostly silencing the victims of
sexual abuse by threatening God’s wrath.
“Many believe this and never report incidents
of sexual abuse to the authorities. This has been
encouraging priests to continue with their
immoral activities. The bishops turn a blind eye
as it will affect the very survival of the Church,”
said the ex-priest who described the nunneries
as brothels in his autobiography titled Oru
Vaidikante Hrudayamitha (Here is the Heart of a
Priest).
Those who question this will not be able to
continue in the Church. A nun, who had
complained of unwanted sexual advances by the
priest while she worked as a teacher in Madhya
Pradesh in 2011, was thrown out. When she
refused to leave, the Church silenced her by
giving her a compensation of Rs 12 lakh.
Another nun, Sister Jesme was forced to quit the
religious life of over three decades after she
resisted sexual advances against her from
priests. After quitting the Mother of Carmel
Congregation in 2007, she revealed the gross
sexual abuse of nuns by the priests in her
autobiography, Amen .
Shibhu said nuns were silently suffering the
abuse as they had no place to go after quitting
the nunnery. Priests and nuns quitting the
religious life are not accepted by their families
or the society as they consider leaving the
vocation as a sin.
There has been a rise in sexual offences
involving priests in the state in the recent
months. Rector of a Catholic seminary in
Kannur district was arrested by the Iritty police
in October last year for the alleged sexual
assault on a 21-year-old seminarian who was
undergoing training under him at the
institution.
In January this year, a 65-year-old priest, who
was working as principal of a school at
Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district, was
arrested for abusing an 11-year-old in the
school dormitory.
In December last year, a Catholic priest was
sentenced to double life imprisonment under
Pocso Act for the rape of a teenage girl. The
priest, Edwin Figarez, had raped the victim
many times while serving as the priest in a local
church under Kottappuram diocese during 2015.
In August last year, another Catholic priest was
arrested for allegedly raping and murdering a
college student in Palakkad district. Four other
clergymen, including a bishop were arrested for
allegedly covering up the case.
Reji Njallani, who has launched an association
to champion the cause of ex-priests and nuns,
said that sexual abuse cases involving priests
and nuns were showing an increase in the state
as they are finding it difficult to maintain
celibacy.
He said that the situation was alarming in the
Syro-Malabar Church, which is the largest
Catholic rite in Kerala. Reji told the Firstpost
that a large number of priests and nuns in the
Church have been demanding right to marry.
This, he believes, may solve the problem to a
great extent.
“This is not a difficult matter since the Syro-
Malabar Church is an independent Church that
is free to take a decision on crucial issues
without the approval of Vatican. Seventeen out
of 22 independent Catholic churches in the
world have allowed the religious people to
marry,” he pointed out.
He said Catholic priests in Kerala were allowed
to marry until the 16th century, when the
Portuguese took control of a major section of the
Church. The bishops who are now trying to take
the Church to pre-Portuguese days are silent on
the marriage of priests as they consider celibacy
as a sign of superiority over other religions.
Reji said the Association of Catholic Priests, ex-
Priests and Nuns will float an open church to
attract priests and nuns who are suffocated with
the life in the established church. The priests
joining the open church will be able to perform
all priestly duties, including administration of
the sacraments. Reji hopes that this will force
the established Church to undertake reforms
need by the changing times and solve the ills
plaguing it.