Letter of Sisters in Solidarity to Cardinal Oswald Gracias

Dear Cardinal Oswald,

Greetings from the group of Catholic women who are in solidarity with survivors of clergy sexual abuse of the Catholic Church in India! We are happy to know that the bishops who had gathered at the biennial gathering of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) in February 2020 at Bengaluru have reiterated their position of zero tolerance on any kind of sexual abuse in the Church, a stand that was already stated in the 2010 Gender Policy of the Catholic Church in India.

In restating this position, we understand that the Catholic Church leadership is serious about taking necessary disciplinary action against offenders, irrespective of their standing in the Church, and would reach out to survivors of abuse with compassion and care, so as to accompany them in their healing and assist them in rebuilding their lives.

In the light of these developments, we want to draw your attention once again to the case involving a bishop that has called to question the very credibility of the Church in India. The nun survivor of sexual assault was forced to approach the civil courts of law on being denied justice after knocking at many doors of the Church authorities. She took this daring step after the bishop himself had filed false cases against her, her family members and the family members of the sisters who supported her.

All the letters sent by the survivor seeking justice from the Church leadership in India, and the Vatican, received no acknowledgement or response. None of the senior members of the Church visited her on behalf of Church leadership since the crime was reported. You yourself have visited the vicinity of her convent but failed to call in to find out about the trauma she had and continues to undergo. She and her small band of companions continue to experience alienation within their congregation and in the religious community where they reside.

The accused, a bishop of Jalandhar diocese on the other hand has received the full support of church leaders. This is evident from the fact that he continues to be a bishop and resides in the bishop’s house at Jalandhar, and that he was not only visited in prison by bishops, but is accompanied to court by a battery of priests.

Even though he is without administrative powers, his presence in the bishop’s house has been affecting the survivor and her companions adversely as the community still perceives him as their bishop. He was given a rousing welcome on his return from prison, and his supporters have also mounted an aggressive media campaign through a YouTube channel called ‘Christian Times’. Videos of a defamatory character against the complainant and her supporters have been posted.
See, for instance, the links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ohbx90_I0Y;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdXI VXF8Gpk

Besides these concerns, we want you to take note of a statement that was brought out by the media in February 2020, in which another nun accuses the same bishop of sexual misconduct.

It is the same case that was mentioned in the letter of 8 September 2018 that the survivor nun at Kuravilangad wrote to the Apostolic Nuncio in New Delhi, with copies to the CBCI President and 21 other leaders of the Catholic Church in India. In this letter she pleads to the Church authorities to make a truthful investigation that will ensure justice for her and others affected like her.

Against the backdrop of the many accusations raised against the same bishop, we ask the CBCI leadership to honor their ‘zero tolerance’ policy on sexual violence in the Church by taking the following concrete steps at the earliest:

1. The Catholic Church leadership should no longer allow the accused bishop to stay in Jalandhar as this reflects the Church’s support, and further enables him to garner local support which may influence the case and be a threat to a fair trial.

2. The Church leaders must reach out to the survivors with deep care and concern and support them in every way possible- emotionally, medically, legally and financially so that they are enabled to seek justice.

3. The Bishops must implement without further delay, the CBCI Guidelines to deal with Sexual Harassment at Workplace, 2017, and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

As the senior most spokespersons of the Catholic Church, both Pope Francis and you have repeatedly made statements in support of women’s rights and a just Church.

We, the women who stand in solidarity with the survivors of clergy sexual abuse, seek answers and solutions, and so we demand accountability of any Church body dealing with complaints on sexual harassment. We would like to know what concrete steps have been planned by the CBCI to implement their ‘zero tolerance’ position on sexual violence within the Church.

We want to see the Catholic Church leadership taking strong measures to ensure that women and children who have been victimized by clergy sexual abuse can live their lives with greater freedom and dignity and without fear of further abuse.

Dear Cardinal, we are heartened to read your recent interview published in the National Catholic Reporter (February 24, 2020) where you have made this emphatic statement: “I am now an advocate for women’s rights in the church,” and “I empathize with why women are asking for greater rights.” Your words give a glimmer of hope to the affected women and their supporters in the Indian Church, but we are sure that you will agree with us that unless you deliver, your credibility gets eroded.

We look forward to hearing from you, with the assurance of the bold steps you will take to ensure that the sister survivor in the bishop’s case and others who are affected, get justice both in Church and the civil courts. Such a move on the part of CBCI, under your leadership, will pave the way for the Church in India to recover its lost credibility before the Indian society.

Yours truly in Christ Jesus,
1. Dr.Kochurani Abraham, IWTF*, kochuabraham@gmail.com
2. Dr. Astrid Lobo-Gajiwala, Satyashodak, IWTF, asklobog@gmail.com
3. Sr. Julie George SSpS, Streevani, FORUM*, julierosegeorge@gmail.com
4. Anita Cheria, IWTF, Network of Women in Media India (NWMI), anita@openspace.org.in
5. Virginia Saldanha, IWTF, womynvs@gmail.com
6. Sr. Manju Kulapuram SCSC, FORUM, IWTF, manjukulapuram@yahoo.com
7. Sr. Jaisa Antony SSpS, Streevani, jaisaantony@yahoo.co.in
8. Sr. Annie Jaise, CMC, FORUM, sraanijaise2017@gmail.com
9. Adv. Sandhya George, sandhyageorge@yahoo.com
10. Sr. Anupama M.J., 27june27.2018@gmail.com
11. Sr. Claire Marie Therese ICM, IWTF, clairemtherese1@gmail.com
12. Raynah Braganza Passanha, IWTF, raynahbraganzapassanah@gmail.com
13. Brinelle Elizabeth D’Souza, Voices Against Sexual Abuse in the Church (VASAC), IWTF, brinelledsouza@gmail.com
14. Sr. Teresa Meera RGS, FORUM, ethammac@gmail.com
15. Corrine Kumar, Vimochana, eltaller.international@gmail.com
16. Aleyamma Vijayan, aleyamma.vijayan@gmail.com
17. IWTF – Indian Women Theologians Forum
18. FORUM- Forum for Justice & Peace
CC:
1. Mar George Njaralakatt, First Vice President, CBCI
2. Joshua Mar Ignathios, Second Vice-President, CBCI
3. Archbishop Felix Machado, Secretary General, CBCI
4. Jacob Mar Barnabas, OIC, Chairman – CBCI Office for Women
5. Sr. Talisha Nadukudiyil SD, Secretary – CBCI Office for Women