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                        MARCH 2015/OCTOBER 24/26, 2016/JANUARY 24/FEBRUARY 28/MARCH 4, 2017

Rape and sexual abuse of nuns (and lay women and boys) by Indian priests

In our internet ministry commencing 2003, we have remained dedicated to exposing

-Liberals and dissenters in the Indian Church

-Hinduisation of the Indian Church in the guise of inculturation; false ecumenism and interreligious dialogue

-Liturgical abuses and aberrations in the Indian Church

-Errors and abuses in the mainstream Catholic Charismatic Renewal and in major retreat centres in India

-Indian evangelical- (and New Age-) influenced retreat preachers masquerading as Catholics

-Threats to the Catholic faithful from private/unapproved mystics, false revelations, etc.

-New Age (alternative therapies, eastern meditations, psycho-spiritual counseling techniques and devices, etc.) promoted by parishes, Catholic laity and religious institutions and individuals in India, but we have never concerned ourselves with moral issues for fear of sitting in judgement over people.

We have always been receiving information from individuals about predator priests who seduce or sexually exploit women, more so in the recent past. But we have never till now put such information on our web site.

We now feel constrained to publish on our site certain information in the hope that the Church hierarchy concerned will see that justice is done wherever it still remains to be done, and for three reasons:

1. The predator is being protected by the very authorities who should be disciplining him and comforting the survivor/s;

2. The matter has already been reported or is known to the perpetrators’ authorities but to no effect;

3. The news is no secret and is already in the public domain.

It is a matter of great concern to Catholics that the only persons who are taking up and fighting these cases with the Church authorities are liberal nuns, liberal theologians and their forums (see page 28). Their liberal (excuse the thrice-repeated word) agenda of militating for justice and redressal uses innocent terminology like women’s “rights”, women’s “emancipation”, “gender equality”, but two among their ultimate objectives are the use of inclusive language in the Holy Mass and the ordination of women as priests.

I received this letter from one such liberal priest (who once wrote me that he favours women’s ordination, see the list of files on page 28):

From: Subhash Anand subhash@gmail.com Date: Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 11:43 AM
Subject: Do We Have Any Responsibility?

Sr. Panikulam, “Many nuns have faced sexual harassment”, Conference of Religious India Bulletin, October 12, 2011,

www.religiousindia.org/2011/10/12/huge-number-of-nuns-have-faced-sexual-harassment-sr-panikulam, 20-10-2011.

http://www.religiousindia.org/2011/10/12/huge-number-of-nuns-have-faced-sexual-harassment-sr-panikulam/

Sr. Panikulam MMS, who helps religious with psycho-sexual counseling, told the 75 religious present that abuse cases of young religious are increasing and a cause of much concern.

Question: Who are the persons who abuse nuns?

A high proportion of nuns have been “victims of rape and sexual abuse” either before or after entering religious life, according to Sr. Agnes Panikulam.

The Medical Mission Sister made the disclosure at a program on October 8, organized by the Conference of Religious India at Mount St. Mary’s School, Delhi Cantonment. Another consequence, she said, is that “a significant number of abuse victims are attracted to religious life which offers safety and a respected personal identity”.

Sr. Panikulam spoke of the trauma of such experiences which lead to psychological problems and spiritual crises for the victims at the program titled “Sexual abuse in the church and society and its adverse impact on individuals and the Gospel ministries”. “Some of the consequences are anxiety, anger – expressed or suppressed – low self-esteem, suicidal tendencies, loss of faith and accepting sexual activity as part of life, in clear denial of the vowed commitments.”

Sr. Panikulam, who helps religious with psycho-sexual counseling, told the 75 religious present that abuse cases of young religious are increasing and a cause of much concern. Noting that the problem is wide-spread across the country, she said there is urgent need to raise the consciousness of the problem within the Christian community, especially among the clergy and the religious.

She said it is believed that in India some 50% of minors among the general population have been abused and called for professionally-trained counselors.

Sr. Panikulam along with Tessy Anthony, secretary for Commission for Women of Delhi archdiocese, held interactive open sessions.

It was observed that there was a pressing need of ‘non-judgmental’ love and an attitude of compassion towards the victims and short-term courses to help tackle such problems.

Sr. Shalini Mulackal* gave a short introduction of the CBCI document on Gender Policy. She said “it offered the accepted policy by our bishops regarding the gender relationships in the Church and it can be helpful in cases of conflicts and tensions.” *See page 28

Testimony of the Persecuted and appeal to higher authorities for action

https://silentmaj.wordpress.com/2015/03/08/religious-sr-in-search-of-justice-against-sexual-abuse/

March 8, 2015 on Silent Voice, the blog of Gregory Pereira, Mumbai, silentvoice58@gmail.com

“Taking action against the seminarian Pradeep John Ekka”

By Sr. Anupama Joseph SRA (CNUA)

Sr. Anupama Joseph SRA, petitioned to His Beatitude Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos, President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India

Your Beatitude, 

I am Sr. Anupama Joseph SRA, a sister of the congregation of the Queen of the Apostles, Ranchi Province, working currently in the Catholic Charities of Diocese of Jamshedpur as the Health coordinator of the Diocese from 3rd July 2014.

With a lot of pain and sadness I would like to bring to your kind attention a very traumatic experience I have had at the Social Development Centre (SDC) Ranchi on 16th August 2014, for which I have not received justice till today.

I was at the SDC, Ranchi, to attend the Annual General Body meeting of the Catholic Health Association of Bihar- Jharkhand-Andaman (CHABIJAN) and to present the Diocesan report in the said AGBM. I was allotted the room No. 14 in the ground floor of SDC along with Sr. Sneha PHJC, President, CHABIJAN, and Sr. Rosita SRA, Executive Director, CHABIJAN.

On the first day after the meeting while I was having bath between 09.00 and 09.30 pm, I noticed someone taking my video through the ventilator from the bathroom of the adjacent room, which is room no.15. I called for help and came out of the room and I locked room no. 15 from outside so that the person inside won’t escape. Soon many sisters and fathers gathered and I sent someone to call the in-charge of the Social Development Centre. Fr. Praful Tigga, the Assistant Director of the SDC, came to the place. I explained to him that someone had taken my video from the next room, so please open the room and get me the video. He refused to act saying, “It’s my brother inside, I can't do that, I can't do harm to my brother.” Then we realized that it was a seminarian inside. I was shocked by his stand and asked him, “Then who am I?” Then I also told him “you are in charge of this place, please do something and get me the video immediately.” I repeatedly asked him to get me the video and he kept repeating that it is his brother. At this juncture, I lost my cool and I slapped him, though I realized later that it was not the right thing to do.

I sent Fr. Petrus, one of the participants at the meeting, to call the priests from bishop's house. When they came, they opened the door and we realized that he is a seminarian belonging to the Archdiocese of Ranchi doing theology in Rome. When the priests inquired about the incident, he denied at first, but later confessed that he had taken the video through the ventilator of the bathroom. In his room we found a laptop, a tablet, a camera, an external disk and his mobile. Sr. Sneha PHJC and Sr. Rosita SRA took all that and kept them in our room.

In desperation I called up my provincial superior Sr. Laila to come to SDC immediately and she came within 30 minutes along with her counselors. They took me to the Provincialate, and on arrival there, Sr. Laila asked me to give her all the gadgets which we collected from the seminarian’s room and I handed them over to her.

The following day, on the 17th August 2014 about 09.30 a.m., the then auxiliary bishops elect of the Archdiocese of Ranchi, Rev. Theodore Mascarenhas SFX, and Rev. Telesphore Bilung SVD came to my Provincial House and met my Provincial and me. Both the bishops elect promised me saying, “Sister, we are sorry for what has been done to you by our seminarian, this should have never taken place, you are important to us, we are with you and we will do everything to protect your privacy and dignity. We will recommend to Cardinal Telesphore Toppo not to promote the seminarian to priesthood, and that's our strong stand. As soon as the Cardinal comes back from Bangalore we shall dismiss the seminarian. We do not want such priest for the Catholic Church. We will do justice to you.”

Rev. Theodore Mascarenhas SFX, and Rev. Telesphore Bilung SVD went to the SDC along with my Provincial Sr. Laila to verify the matter with the seminarian. At about 11.00 am, Sr. Laila called me to SDC to check how the seminarian took the video as there was a confusion as to whether he used a mobile camera or a video camera. The seminarian confessed that he used his mobile and had taken the video through the ventilator of his bathroom. At the request of the bishops elect, in the presence of the Provincial Sr. Laila, Sr. Jaya SRA, Fr. Shishir and myself, he demonstrated how he climbed on the chair and took the video. Before leaving the place the Bishops elect asked the seminarian if he had anything to tell me. He said he was sorry for what he did. Then they asked me if I had anything to say to him. I asked the seminarian “if it was your sister in my place what would you do?” and his reply was, “I will kill him”. Then I told the seminarian, “I leave you, if you change your life and become a holy man. Then that will be great before God.”

On 19 August, Sr. Laila met the Cardinal and he told her that he had spoken to the seminarian, Bro. Pradeep. (Initially I was told by someone at SDC that the seminarian’s name is Pradeep Xalxo, but later I came to know that he is Br. Pradeep John Ekka). Since the bishops elect were to be consecrated at the end of August, the Cardinal expressed his difficulty to address the issue then as he was going to be occupied until then.

On 26th of August my provincial and her councilor Sr. Kavita SRA took me to SDC again to meet Fr. Praful and ask his forgiveness for slapping him. I asked pardon for what I did and Fr. Praful said that he has forgiven me. He also said that he was unable to respond to my request that time as he did not know what to do at that moment.

Meanwhile, I contacted my Superior General Sr. Nandita Pereira who was already informed of the matter and she also assured me that justice will be done to me. Time lapsed without any action being taken by the Cardinal or by my superiors and in the beginning of October I got the information that Br. Pradeep was sent back to Rome to continue his theological studies. On hearing this, I was deeply pained, hurt and troubled, and I asked myself why the authorities concerned are taking such a stand on the heinous crime done to me.

Feeling more desperate about the situation, that no action had been taken even after two months, I took the matter to Fr. Francis Kurian SJ, President of CRI, BIJAN; Fr. Thomas SDB President of National CRI; Fr. Tomy IMS, Director General of CHAI; Fr. Mathew, Health Secretary to CBCI and Sr. Manju Kulapuram SCSC, the National Secretary of Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace (FORUM) asking their intervention in this matter.

Now more than four months have passed since the incident has happened and yet no action has been taken. I am unable to sleep thinking whether the seminarian would abuse me further using what he has videotaped. I am terribly perplexed and shocked at the irony of the situation- the offender is sent back to continue his studies while me the victim remains broken, undergoing mental torture on being denied justice. I am in trauma, being distressed at the delay in getting justice. However, I continue with my regular work as the health coordinator.

Your Beatitude, I am writing this letter to you at the end of the year 2014 with much anguish, but also with some hope that at least you will address this issue. As the President of Catholic Bishops Conference of India, I trust that you will heed this plea and respond to this issue. Br. Pradeep needs to be tried according to the law of the land. Besides this, I would earnestly request you to take some action to see that sexual violence in any form is not tolerated or covered up in the Catholic Church in India. I hope you will not disappoint me in this matter.

Thanking you in anticipation,

Yours sincerely

Sr. Anupama Joseph SRA, Catholic Charities, Patel Bagan, Sundernagar, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand – 832107. 

Mobile: +91-9973962232 (See also page 25)

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