By Jessy Joseph
New Delhi, April 24, 2022: A Catholic priest has been arrested in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly molesting an 11-year-old girl.
The Baghpet police April 23 arrested Father Albert S, a priest of Meerut diocese. The police took Father Albert into custody after the girl’s mother lodge a complaint.
According to a press release from Father Roy Chowalloor, public relation officer of the diocese, the police came in the morning and asked Father Albert to accompany them to the station to discuss some important matter.
On reaching the station, the 68-year-old priest was told about the complaint against him. He was immediately arrested under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act).
The “Dainik Jagran,” a Hindi newspaper that broke the news, said that the girl’s mother had alleged that the priest on April 21 lured the girl with money and took her to a room inside the school and molested her.
When the girl objected, the priest reportedly threatened to kill her. The family found 500 rupees in the girl’s possession and when questioned she told them that that the priest used to give her 10 to 20 rupees and molested her. The news reports also alleged the priest and others tried to pressure the girl’s family to suppress case.
Father Albert is the parish priest of St. Joseph’s Church of Lalyana in Baghpat and the manager of a high school with the same name in the church campus. The Hindi medium high school has some 1,100 local students.
School principal Sacred Heart Sister Geetanjali said the girl’s mother had come with three children on April 21 for admission and filled the registrations forms.
“I told them to come back with identity proof and transfer certificate,” Sister Geetanjali told Matters India.
Sister Geetanjali said later Father Albert informed her that the mother and children approached him for concession for books, fees, and uniform. Father Albert assured them that these would be taken care of once the admission is done, says the press release from the diocese.
The principal maintains that the case against the priest is “fabricated and baseless.” The village has some 30 catholic families.
Archbishop Francis Kalist told Matters India that the family came to the village recently and that he was not sure about the real reasons behind the allegation.
“Anyway, let the legal procedure be done. I believe that Father Albert will come out innocent. He is a very spiritual person and compassionate to people especially the poor,” the prelate added.
The police have also deployed security personnel in the church premises fearing attacks from the local people.
Father Albert was born February 13, 1954, in the Kanniyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. He was ordained a priest on April 14, 1985.
I want to believe that Fr Albert is innocent. At his age I feel he will never touch a girl of 11 year age. There must be some hidden devils who are zealous about him and his holiness and put him to humiliation and bring chaos in the area against the school and church. I pray that Fr Albert will be proved innocent and the accusers will be punished.
This could be trap to undermine the good works done by missionary priests. The BJP’s complacency has emboldened the radical groups to fabricate evidence to achieve their ulterior goals.
The universal requirement to celibacy was imposed upon the clergy with force in 1123 and again in 1139. This means that the church not only remained intact but grew in spite of no-celibacy for more than half its existence. Time to restore status quo ante. Let our priests live according to natural order of things. Celibacy violates God’s commandment to multiply like grain of sand at the shore. With finance of the church taken away from priests they will not be able to misuse church funds for personal expenses.
May the TRUTH win! – Satyameva Jayete!
Praying for Fr. Albert. I am very sure father is innocent and is trapped by some fringe elements in our society who are trying to divide the nation on religious lines.
Would not like to judge prematurely. There could be a vendetta angle as the Baghpat area is known for communal polarisation. Let us hope that the truth shall prevail.