A 48-year-old Catholic priest has been arrested in Kochi for raping a 17-year-old girl in 2016, who gave birth to a child a few weeks ago, ANI reported. Father Robin Vaddakumchiryil, vicar of St Sebastian church in Kottiyoor, has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
The priest allegedly got the baby admitted to a facility in Wayanad. Ironically, the accused was known for speaking publicly against child sex abuse. “The parents had not filed a complaint. But based on a tip-off received by the child helpline, we carried out an initial probe and found the report to be true. We have filed a case of rape against the priest,” a police officer told NDTV.
Officials said a case has been registered against a private hospital, for conducting the delivery without informing the police, Hindustan Times reported. “The priest also made an attempt to implicate the girl’s father in the case. Since the family is from an economically weaker section, he tried to implicate him and told many about this,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Prajeesh.
A Thalasserry diocese spokesperson told the Hindustan Times that the priest had been relieved of his religious duties.
A member of the Syro-Malabar Catholic diocese of Mananthavady, the priest will face charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and relevant sections of the India Penal Code, The India Express reported. The accused’s name and photograph have been removed from the diocesan website.
In January, Pope Francis had directed Catholic bishops across the world to maintain zero tolerance towards child sexual abuse by the clergy. His statements followed the arrest of a priest in Kerala on charges of sexually abusing an 11-year-old schoolboy on December 21.
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