Thiruvananthapuram: The growing scandal in Kerala has shocked the state’s Christian population. In the wake of sexual abuse allegation against priests, a third woman has accused priest of sexually abusing her.
At least 12 priests have been arrested from different churches in over 18 months for allegedly sexually abusing and raping minors and women.
Last week, a nun and another woman alleged that they were sexually abused for years. With sexual abuse allegation, the duo also alleged that Church have been trying to cover up the matter instead of investigating it impartially.
According to a report, on Wednesday, a 30-yr-old woman accused Fr Binu George of Orthodox Church of sexually abusing her in 2014 on pretext of discussing family issue.
Previously, a complaint was filed by a 34-year-old woman alleging that she was sexually abused by five priests from Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church for two decades. The matter came into light when the audio clip of the woman’s husband and his friend got leaked. The clip was circulated online. Out of 5 priests, 4 of them have been booked for rape and molestation.
The woman’s husband told the agency, “My wife was caught in a cycle of rape, blackmailing and sexually exploitation for two decades. I got to know about the incident in February this year. I am under a lot of pressure from the church to withdraw the complaint. People have been calling me and asking me not to go ahead.”
Father MO John, Trustee of the Orthodox Church said, “The moment we were informed about the complaint, a special committee was set up. The accused priests were suspended and the investigation began. We were about to finish probe when police filed complaint and started investigating the matter.”
Prasanta Patnaik