By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi: A national body of Catholic women has expressed grave concern at the way Church leaders in India have handled the case of a priest who fathered a child with a nun.
The Sisters in Solidarity (SiS) on December 16 urged top Church bodies in India to urgently set up structures to deal with clergy sexual abuse cases in a transparent and just manner.
A letter from the group addressed to Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, the Syro-Malabar Synod, and the Conference of Religious India refers to the July 2016 birth of a baby girl to Father Jomon Kandathinkara, a priest of the Thamarassery in Kerala, and the nun who worked in the same Syro-Malabar diocese.
While the priest was suspended and sent to another diocese based in Telangana where he continued his priestly ministry, the nun was forced to leave the congregation.
“Is a woman religious who becomes an unwed mother considered more answerable for her sexual transgression because she bears the physical burden of her action? Why is her courage to resist an abortion and bear the baby to term, not respected and affirmed?” asks the women’s letter.
The women condemn what they call the Church’s double standards in dealing with priests and nuns when they violate the vow of celibacy. “While the priests are merely relocated to another diocese, the nuns are compelled to leave their congregations,” bemoans the women’s body.
Such “stark difference in the consequences faced by a nun and priest in the same situation raises many questions about the Church’s pro-life stance, its advocacy of responsible parenthood, and the value it places on the vocations of men and women.”
The women’s body says the issue “raises very grave questions for the Christian faithful regarding the integrity of the Church and the values upheld by the concerned ecclesiastical leaders.”
According to the women, the vocation of the nun to dedicate her life to serve Church is as precious as that of the priest, “and needs to be similarly protected and preserved.”
The letter regrets that society has not moved far from the biblical story of a mob that wanted to stone a woman caught in adultery. “There too, the man who was part of the sexual act was judged by a different standard. Isn’t it time that those with power in the Church moved from the side of the mob to the side of Jesus?” asks the letter.
The group also expressed concern over the Church sending the child born to the priest and the nun to an orphanage.
“It is very unfortunate that the Catholic Church which claims to be deeply pro-life does not demonstrate a genuine concern about the rights of the child beyond birth. If it did, it would not use adoption as an easy solution and instead seek ways to provide a supportive circle to women Religious who may want to raise their babies despite the difficult circumstances,” the letter says.
It points to a case registered by the crime branch 2018 alleging the priest of paying 1.3 million rupees to the nun to settle matter.
The women’s body wants the Church structures to handle sexual abuse cases to include laity representatives experienced in handling such cases.
The women want the Church leaders to start with the implementation of a government law that deals with the prevention of sexual harassment at workplace. “Putting in place Internal Complaints Committees as mandated by the law could help address issues of clergy sexual abuse,” they assert.
They also want mechanisms that will call for responsibility and accountability from bishops, priests and superiors of convents for their actions in these situations, to ensure that justice is done to all women in the Church.
END
The text of the letter follows:
December 16, 2020
From
Sisters In Solidarity, sistersinsolidarity219@gmail.com
To,
Oswald Cardinal Gracias, President, CBCI,
Mar George Njaralakatt, First Vice President, CBCI,
Joshua Mar Ignathios, Second Vice-President, CBCI,
Archbishop Felix Machado, Secretary General, CBCI,
Jacob Mar Barnabas, OIC, Chairman – CBCI Office for Women,
Sr. Navya Mechery FCC, Secretary – CBCI Office for Women,
Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao, President of CCBI,
Archbishop George Antonysamy, Archbishop of Madras – Mylapore – Vice-President,
Archbishop Anil Couto, Metropolitan Delhi – Secretary General,
His Eminence Cardinal George Alenchery, KCBC president,
Most Rev. Joseph Mar Thomas, Bishop of Bathery, KCBC Secretary General,
Rev. Fr. Sebastian Thundathikunnel VC, KCMS President,
Rev. Bro. T. Amalan FSC – CRI president,
Fr. Joe Mannath SDB – CRI National Secretary,
Rev. Sr. Rose Celine BS – CRI Sisters’ Section President,
Sr. Doris D’Souza AC – CRI Sisters’ Section Vice President,
Sr. Therese Meera RGS- CRI Sisters’ Section Secretary,
Bro. P.J. George SG – CRI Brothers’ Section Vice President,
Bro. T. Antony Raj SHJ – CRI Brothers’ Section Secretary & Treasurer,
Rev Fr. George Panthanmackel MSFS – CRI Priests’ Section President,
Fr. Biju Vadakkel CMI – CRI Priests’ Section Vice President,
Fr. A. J. Mathew OFMCap – CRI Priests’ Section Secretary & Treasurer,
Sub: A Wakeup Call to Greater Integrity
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We, the members of Sisters in Solidarity (SIS) wish to express our deep concern at the manner in which the Church leadership in India has proceeded in the case of Fr. Jomon Kandathinkara, a Catholic priest from the diocese of Thamarassery in Kerala, who fathered a child with a nun of the same diocese in July 2016.
This issue raises very grave questions for the Christian faithful regarding the integrity of the Church and the values upheld by the concerned ecclesiastical leaders.
1. At the start we would like to point to the Church’s double standards in dealing with priests and nuns when they violate the vow of celibacy.
While the priests are merely relocated to another diocese, the nuns are compelled to leave their congregations. This stark difference in the consequences faced by a nun and priest in the same situation raises many questions about the Church’s pro-life stance, its advocacy of responsible parenthood, and the value it places on the vocations of men and women. Is a woman religious who becomes an unwed mother considered more answerable for her sexual transgression because she bears the physical burden of her action? Why is her courage to resist an abortion and bear the baby to term, not respected and affirmed? After all, her vocation to dedicate her life to service in the Church is as precious as that of the priest, and needs to be similarly protected and preserved. Tragically, we have not moved far from the moral condemnation by the mob that wanted to stone the woman ‘caught in adultery’ (John 8:1-11). There too, the man who was part of the sexual act was judged by a different standard. Isn’t it time that those with power in the Church moved from the side of the mob to the side of Jesus?
2. In this case, although Fr. Kandathinkara was suspended from exercising his ministry in the diocese of Thamarassery in Kerala, he was incardinated in the diocese of Shamshabad and made Director of the Mangalmatha Renewal Centre and the parish priest there. It is observed that those with a past history of breaking the vow of celibacy are more prone to the misuse of authority of the priestly office to sexually abuse vulnerable sections in a community. This misuse of clerical authority on entering into a sexual relationship with one much lower in the power hierarchy is not just a sin but a crime as it constitutes sexual abuse. For this reason, posting Fr. Kandathinkara as head of an institution that deals so intimately with spiritual needs of the Catholic community while keeping his suspension from his earlier diocese a secret, is totally unethical. It is a betrayal of the fiduciary trust of the faithful as a priest is taken to be an Alter Christus. Further, in transferring the priest to another diocese where his earlier history of transgression is unknown, the concerned Church authorities become complicit in the crime and are providing the transgressor the opportunity to repeat his offensive behaviour that can lead to more crimes. Why does a woman Religious who poses no such risk have to leave her congregation?
3. Our deeper concern however, is the status and rights of the child. The girl child born to the priest and nun was handed over to an orphanage run by another congregation. It is very unfortunate that the Catholic Church which claims to be deeply pro-life does not demonstrate a genuine concern about the rights of the child beyond birth. If it did, it would not use adoption as an easy solution and instead seek ways to provide a supportive circle to women Religious who may want to raise their babies despite the difficult circumstances.
4. Finally, there have been reports that there is a case registered in 2018 with the Crime Branch in relation to a payoff of Rs. 13 lakhs by the priest to settle the matter with the nun (Ref.Case No D1-6790/2018/CB-Kkd). Ironically, when this court case was going on, the Bishop of Shamshabad appointed Fr. Kandathinkara to coordinate the Jericho Prayer initiated by the Charismatic Commission of the CBCI (Ref. Eparchy of Shamshabad Circular SHD/08.06.02/15/2018). Here again, we see this as a move on the part of the Church authorities of Shamshabad diocese to mask the history of the priest and grant him impunity by projecting him before the Christian faithful as someone taking up this ministry with all ecclesiastical blessings.
We, the members of SIS, find the response of the Church leaders in India to such cases misleading and counter to what they preach. It sets a wrong precedent, and we are deeply concerned about its consequences on the Church’s credibility as an institution meant to live the Christian vision with justice and integrity.
In this context, we see an urgency to set up mechanisms, which will call for responsibility and accountability from Bishops, Priests and Superiors of convents for their actions in these situations, to ensure that justice is done to all women in the Church.
As SIS, we demand the urgent intervention of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, the Syro- Malabar Synod, and the Conference of Religious India to set up structures to make the clergy and authorities function in a more transparent and just manner when it comes to sexual abuse that occurs in the Church. These bodies must include representatives of the Christian faithful experienced in handling such cases. A good beginning would be the implementation of the POSH Act that deals with the prevention of sexual harassment at workplace. Putting in place Internal Complaints Committees as mandated by the law could help address issues of clergy sexual abuse.
It is our earnest hope that the Church leadership in India will pay heed to the concerns raised in this letter so that the faithful do not lose their faith in the ecclesiastical leadership to lead them in a morally upright manner. This is crucial for making the Church a visible sign of truth and justice in the Indian society.
Yours truly in Christ Jesus,
Adv. Flavia Agnes, flaviaagnes@gmail.com
Adv. Sr. Julie George SSpS, Streevani, FORUM, julierosegeorge@gmail.com
Adv. Sandhya George, sandhyageorge@yahoo.com
Anita Cheria, IWTF*, Network of Women in Media India (NWMI), anita@openspace.org.in
Aleyamma Vijayan, aleyamma.vijayan@gmail.com
Corrine Kumar, Vimochana, eltaller.international@gmail.com
Dr. Kochurani Abraham, IWTF, kochuabraham@gmail.com
Dr. Astrid Lobo-Gajiwala, Satyashodak, IWTF, asklobog@gmail.com
Dr. Neena Joseph, facultyimgdrnj@gmail.com
Raynah Braganza Passanha, IWTF, raynahbraganzapassanah@gmail.com
Sr. Manju Kulapuram SCSC, FORUM*, IWTF, manjukulapuram@yahoo.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. Rose Thomas SSpS, Streevani, rosessps@gmail.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. Most Rev. Raphael Thattil, Bishop of Shamshabad Eparchial Curia,
2. Most Rev. Remigiose Inchananiyil, Bishop of Thamarassery,
3. Rev. Sr. Ann Joseph, FCC Superior General.