Pathanamthitta: The statement of a woman who has accused several priests of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church of sexual abuse points to an involvement spanning more than a decade between both the parties. She claimed that the initial abuse commenced at the hands of one Fr Abraham Varghese when she was a minor, 16 years.
After getting married, she confessed the matter to Fr Job Mathew in 2009, who sexually abused her by threatening to reveal the details of her secret confession to her husband. The woman then approached her classmate and priest Fr Jais K George, who, instead of helping her, also sexually abused her, said the statement.
It was after she started losing her mental balance that she went for the counselling by Fr Johnson V Mathew, who too took advantage and sexually abused her. She was even taken to luxury hotels for the purpose. The woman has also revealed to the cops that all the priests involved knew about their relationship with her.
Read more: Four Kerala priests booked for rape
Her husband had approached the cops alleging that five priests had used his wife's secret confession to blackmail and sexually abuse her. Though the man said that five priests were involved, after taking the statement of the woman only four were named as accused in the case.
The woman's husband filed the complaint four months ago, following which the suspects were relieved of the church's official responsibilities. Though the church had ordered an internal inquiry it only took the complainant's statement. “There won't be any attempt to scuttle the case, but innocents shouldn't be punished,” said Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, the head of the church.
Meanwhile, FIR has been registered against the four priests under IPC Sections 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman) and 376 (rape).
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