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2 June, 2005
by Nirmala Carvalho
Hindus want to stop Tribals from getting a Catholic education so as to better control them, says the Bishop of Amravati. Government and press are abetting the whole thing. “The authorities should wake up; such episodes are the seed of a great tragedy”, says human rights activist.
Amravati INDIA (AsiaNews) – The arrest of a Catholic priest for alleged child molestation is being used by Hindu fundamentalist to tarnish the reputation of the Catholic Church. Whilst this is happening the central government remains indifferent.
The alleged incident is said to have occurred in Amravati, Maharashtra state, but the local Bishop has defended the priest, saying that the accusations are false. Instead, he has charged Hindu extremists with setting up the Catholic clergyman in an attempt to stop Tribals (Adivasi) from getting a Catholic education.
In talking about the case of Fr Gervas Fernandes, Mgr Edwin Colaço, Bishop of Amravati, described to AsiaNews what happened.
On May 20, Father Fernandes was arrested after the parents of an 11-year-old boy accused the priest of sexually molesting their son—the boy had been living in a hostel managed by the Church inside the compound of the local Cathedral.
The previous day Father Fernandes was preparing to go to his new mission station when he asked the boy to accompany him. Hence, he asked him to change from his home clothes into something more appropriate for travelling outside the village.
The boy’s father told the police that the priest then called his son to his room and coerced the boy into giving him a body massage.
Following standard procedure in such cases, the police sent the priest and the boy for medical examinations. But the results have not been released yet. Through it all, Father Fernandes maintains his innocence.
For Bishop Colaço, the arrest is based on false accusations instigated by Hindu fundamentalists to discredit the educational and development activities of the Church among local Tribals.
“The boy’s family later tried to retract the complaint but was forced to retain it under pressure from Hindu radicals, who would like to exploit the situation.” Bishop Colaço said. “The family came to me later and said they regretted their complaint, which they did in a fit of rage,” he added.
On May 21, about 100 young militants from the Bharatiya Janata Party (a party linked to Hindu fundamentalists) demonstrated in front of the Bishop’s House, demanding action against a priest accused of pedophilia.
On May 22, Father Fernandes was released on bail, but chose to stay from the Cathedral to avoid violent actions by extremists. He will be tried under India’s Penal Code for unnatural offences that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison…
Full Article
by Nirmala Carvalho
Hindus want to stop Tribals from getting a Catholic education so as to better control them, says the Bishop of Amravati. Government and press are abetting the whole thing. “The authorities should wake up; such episodes are the seed of a great tragedy”, says human rights activist.
Amravati INDIA (AsiaNews) – The arrest of a Catholic priest for alleged child molestation is being used by Hindu fundamentalist to tarnish the reputation of the Catholic Church. Whilst this is happening the central government remains indifferent.
The alleged incident is said to have occurred in Amravati, Maharashtra state, but the local Bishop has defended the priest, saying that the accusations are false. Instead, he has charged Hindu extremists with setting up the Catholic clergyman in an attempt to stop Tribals (Adivasi) from getting a Catholic education.
In talking about the case of Fr Gervas Fernandes, Mgr Edwin Colaço, Bishop of Amravati, described to AsiaNews what happened.
On May 20, Father Fernandes was arrested after the parents of an 11-year-old boy accused the priest of sexually molesting their son—the boy had been living in a hostel managed by the Church inside the compound of the local Cathedral.
The previous day Father Fernandes was preparing to go to his new mission station when he asked the boy to accompany him. Hence, he asked him to change from his home clothes into something more appropriate for travelling outside the village.
The boy’s father told the police that the priest then called his son to his room and coerced the boy into giving him a body massage.
Following standard procedure in such cases, the police sent the priest and the boy for medical examinations. But the results have not been released yet. Through it all, Father Fernandes maintains his innocence.
For Bishop Colaço, the arrest is based on false accusations instigated by Hindu fundamentalists to discredit the educational and development activities of the Church among local Tribals.
“The boy’s family later tried to retract the complaint but was forced to retain it under pressure from Hindu radicals, who would like to exploit the situation.” Bishop Colaço said. “The family came to me later and said they regretted their complaint, which they did in a fit of rage,” he added.
On May 21, about 100 young militants from the Bharatiya Janata Party (a party linked to Hindu fundamentalists) demonstrated in front of the Bishop’s House, demanding action against a priest accused of pedophilia.
On May 22, Father Fernandes was released on bail, but chose to stay from the Cathedral to avoid violent actions by extremists. He will be tried under India’s Penal Code for unnatural offences that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison…
Full Article
