By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi, July 22, 2020: A group of catholic women “concerned about justice issues in the Church and society” has condemned a former priest’s plan to marry a minor girl he raped and impregnated as an attempt to get out of jail.
“We find this extremely atrocious and read this as an attempt on his part to escape punishment,” says the Sisters in Solidarity in a July 22 letter to the leaders of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council.
Asserting that the bishops should declare that the Church does not support child rape case “as basis for legitimizing a Christian marriage,” the group warns that their silence on Robin Vadakkumchery’s marriage proposal “will be seen as the Church being party to the crime.”
The 52-year-old man on July 15 moved the Kerala High Court seeking to marry the victim so that they could take care of the child born to her.
However, the prosecution opposed the petition alleging that that it could be a ploy to get relaxation in his jail term. The court has sought a police report and posted the case for July 24.
Vadakkumcherry, now undergoing 20 years of sentence in the Central Prison in Kannur, Kerala, “has tried different ways to wash off the stain of his crime,” the solidarity points out.
It recalls that the former priest of Mananthavady diocese had tried to convince the girl’s to take responsibility his daughter’s pregnancy.
“When Vadakkumchery was caught by the police, he was trying to escape to Canada and later when his paternity was confirmed through DNA testing, the entire family became party to the accused and claimed it was consensual,” the women’s group points out.
The case came to light after the girl gave birth to a child on February 7, 2017. Vadakkumchery was arrested on February 27, 2017, from near the Kochi International Airport while he was preparing to slip out of the country. He was tried under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. On February 17, 2019, he was sentenced to 20-year jail by a court in Thalassery in Kannur district.
During the trial, the victim and her mother had turned hostile. But the court handed out the verdict on the basis of evidences. Four nuns, another priest and one more woman attached to the convent, all co-accused in the police charge-sheet, were let off due to lack of adequate evidences.
The Mananthavady diocese defrocked him in March this year. He is now “trying to spin a different story” that he and the girl were in love and intended to marry, the solidarity letter says.
The solidarity wants the Church leaders in India to keep the rape survivor under a counselor who could prevent her from making “decisions that may mar her future.” It also warns the culprit could lure the girl’s poor family with money.
The group also points out that marriage proposal is a trick used by rapists to escape punishment. Women groups, it says, have “strongly opposed” such a step that could lead to further victimization of the survivors.
“Rape of a minor is a very serious crime. Even more serious when committed by a priest who is bound by the vow of celibacy, due to which people trust him unquestioningly,” the group explains and asserts, “Such atrocious moves on the part of rapists become a violation of the very dignity of women.”
The Solidarity also offers eight proposals to the bishops to help them prevent similar “heinous crimes” by Church members.
That the survivor should be kept under the guidance of a counselor to prevent her from making decisions that may mar her future.
That the KCBC/CBCI takes steps to ensure that priests trained in seminaries should be able to handle their sexuality and their celibacy with responsibility, and treat girls, women and nuns with dignity and respect.
That priests are trained in the laws covering sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults and that their formation ensures that they understand they are not above any law.
That the various associations in the Catholic Church at the national/regional/ diocesan/parish level take up programs that will facilitate a change in attitudes of men towards women, as well as women towards themselves.
That the CBCI Gender Policy be enforced with determination. A frame work for implementation should be put in place with structures, funds, and other resources where proven women leaders are given responsibility for executing the same. There should also be periodic evaluation mechanisms to take stock of progress.
That awareness of the nation’s POCSO and Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Act 2013 are implemented in Church institutions and parishes.
That Church and State authorities take cognizance of the increasing revelations of abuse by people in power and authority in religious institutions and set up monitoring mechanisms that will stringently apply the country’s laws as deterrent to future abuse.
That the CBCI takes urgent measures to ensure that the integrity of the Church is not jeopardized by the increasing instances of clergy sexual abuse in India.
Text of the letter is given below:
July 22, 2020
From
Sisters In Solidarity, sistersinsolidarity219@gmail.com
To
Oswald Cardinal Gracias, President, Catholic Bishops Conference of India
Mar George Njaralakatt, First Vice President, CBCI
Joshua Mar Ignathios, Second Vice-President, CBCI
Archbishop Felix Machado, Secretary General, CBCI
Mar George Cardinal Alencherry, KCBC Chairman
Bp. Dr. Varghese Chakkalakal, KCBC Vice Chairman
Dr. Joseph Mar Thomas, KCBC Vice Chairman
Rev. Fr. Varghese Vallikkatt, KCBC Secretary
Sub: Addressing the marriage proposal of Robin Vadakkumcherry with the rape survivor
Dear Cardinals, Bishops and Father,
We, the members of Sisters in Solidarity (SIS), are appalled at the news that the former Catholic priest, Robin Vadakkumcherry, aged 52 years, who was convicted of rape of a minor girl has asked the Kerala High Court for parole to marry the rape survivor whom he impregnated at the age of 16 when she was a student in a school of the parish where he was Manager. He has been charged and convicted under the POCSO law.
Vadakkumcherry has tried different ways to wash off the stain of his crime. First he tried to convince the father of the girl to take responsibility for impregnating the girl. When Vadakkumcherry was caught by the police, he was trying to escape to Canada and later when his paternity was confirmed through DNA testing, the entire family became party to the accused and claimed it was consensual. After being convicted and jailed for over a year now, he was finally defrocked in March 2020. Now that he has been convicted and dismissed from the priesthood he is trying to spin a different story, namely that the two were in love and intended to marry.
We are afraid that the girl and her family coming from a very vulnerable background and from a low economic status will be lured by the economic offers made by the culprit or for the privileged position he held in their life as a priest earlier, and so they may give in to his proposal for marriage. We find this extremely atrocious and read this as an attempt on his part to escape punishment.
Rape of a minor is a very serious crime. Even more serious when committed by a priest who is bound by the vow of celibacy, due to which people trust him unquestioningly. The trick of rapists to propose marriage to their rape survivors is not a new one, and has always been strongly opposed by women’s groups as this can lead to further victimization of the survivors. Such atrocious moves on the part of rapists become a violation of the very dignity of women.
With increasing number of child sexual abuse cases coming to light within the Catholic Church, it is even more important to declare that the Church does not support child rape as a basis for legitimising a Christian marriage. Silence in this case will be seen as the Church being party to crime.
We are greatly concerned that the consent of the girl who is the survivor in the Vadakkumcherry case cannot be an informed and mature one, since she is hemmed in by so many social disabilities like age difference, status, economic vulnerabilities besides being in a culture that frowns on rape survivors and jeopardises their marriage prospects. We strongly feel that all these are being exploited by Vadakkumcherry.
SIS firmly opposes this marriage proposal of Vadakkumcherry since he is using the excuse of taking responsibility for the child whose paternity he originally denied, to avoid arrest. As pointed out above, there is no way we can ascertain that the consent given by the girl is genuine. We believe that she is being forced into family responsibilities at this young age and so the Church should intervene to block this.
In the 16 July 2020 Vademecum, Pope Francis has told bishops across the world to report sexual abuse of minors by clerics to the local police and not to ignore even anonymous or doubtful claims. The intervention by the Catholic Church leadership in India to block the malicious move by Robin Vadakkumcherry would be a noble step to honour and implement the directives of the Congregation of Doctrine of Faith through the Vademecum.
We strongly feel that the Catholic Church has a duty to protect this young girl and take measures to prevent similar heinous crimes by Church members, hence we propose:
That the survivor should be kept under the guidance of a counsellor to prevent her from making decisions that may mar her future.
That the KCBC/CBCI takes steps to ensure that priests trained in seminaries should be able to handle their sexuality and their celibacy with responsibility, and treat girls, women and nuns with dignity and respect.
That priests are trained in the laws covering sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults and that their formation ensures that they understand they are not above any law.
That the various associations in the Catholic Church at the national/regional/ diocesan/parish level take up programmes that will facilitate a change in attitudes of men towards women, as well as women towards themselves.
That the CBCI Gender Policy be enforced with determination. A frame work for implementation should be put in place with structures, funds, and other resources where proven women leaders are given responsibility for executing the same. There should also be periodic evaluation mechanisms to take stock of progress.
That awareness of the nation’s POCSO and Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Act 2013 are implemented in Church institutions and parishes.
That Church and State authorities take cognizance of the increasing revelations of abuse by people in power and authority in religious institutions and set up monitoring mechanisms that will stringently apply the country’s laws as deterrent to future abuse.
That the CBCI takes urgent measures to ensure that the integrity of the Church is not jeopardized by the increasing instances of clergy sexual abuse in India.
In Christ Jesus,
Adv. Flavia Agnes, Majlis, flaviaagnes@gmail.com
Adv. Sandhya George, sandhyageorge@yahoo.com
Adv. Sr. Julie George SSpS, Streevani, FORUM*, julierosegeorge@gmail.com
Aleyamma Vijayan, aleyamma.vijayan@gmail.com
Anita Cheria, IWTF, Network of Women in Media India (NWMI), anita@openspace.org.in
Brinelle Elizabeth D’Souza, Voices Against Sexual Abuse in the Church (VASAC), IWTF, brinelledsouza@gmail.com
Corrine Kumar, Vimochana, eltaller.international@gmail.com
Dr. Astrid Lobo-Gajiwala, Satyashodak, IWTF, asklobog@gmail.com
Dr. Kochurani Abraham, IWTF*, kochuabraham@gmail.com
Raynah Braganza Passanha, IWTF, raynahbraganzapassanah@gmail.com
Sr. Annie Jaise, CMC, FORUM, sraanijaise2017@gmail.com
Sr. Anupama M.J., 27june27.2018@gmail.com
Sr. Clare Marie Therese ICM, IWTF, claremtherese1@gmail.com
Sr. Jaisa Antony SSpS, Streevani, jaisaantony@yahoo.co.in
Sr. Manju Kulapuram SCSC, FORUM, IWTF, manjukulapuram@yahoo.com
Sr. Teresa Meera RGS, FORUM, ethammac@gmail.com
Virginia Saldanha, IWTF, womynvs@gmail.com
*IWTF – Indian Women Theologians Forum
*FORUM- Forum for Justice and Peace
cc:
1. Jacob Mar Barnabas, OIC, Chairman – CBCI Office for Women
2. Sr. Talisha Nadukudiyil SD, Secretary – CBCI Office for Women
3. Bp. Joseph Karikkassery, Chairman – KCBC Women’s Commission
4. Mrs. Jane Ancil Francis, Secretary – KCBC Women’s Commission
5. Bro. T. Amalan FSC – CRI president
6. Sr. Rose Celine BS – CRI Sisters’ Section President
7. Fr. George Panthanmackel MSFS – CRI Priests’ Section President
8. Fr. Joe Mannath SDB – CRI National Secretary
9. Bro. P.J. George SG – CRI Brothers’ Section Vice President
10. Bro. T. Antony Raj SHJ – CRI Brothers’ Section Secretary & Treasurer
11. Sr. Doris D’Souza AC – CRI Sisters’ Section Vice President
12. Sr. Therese Meera RGS- CRI Sisters’ Section Secretary
13. Fr. Biju Vadakkel CMI – CRI Priests’ Section Vice President
14. Fr. A. J. Mathew OFMCap – CRI Priests’ Section Secretary & Treasurer
15. Fr. Sebastian Thundathikunnel VC – KCMS President