"Kerala priest raped, because temptations", church-backed magazine resorts to victim blaming

By Neha Vashishth
India Today
March 6, 2017

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kannur-kerala-priest-rape-case-minor-sunday-shalom-says-its-girls-fault/1/897706.html

"Consumerism and temptations" are the reasons why a 16-year-old girl from Kerala got raped. As much absurd this sounds, these are the reasons given by a magazine backed by a Catholic Sabha, resorting to openly blaming and shaming the rape survivor, a minor.

People behind the magazine forgot she DID NOT ASK FOR IT and NO-ONE ASKS FOR IT.

Father Robin or Mathew Vadakkancheril of St Sebastian church in Kannur, Kerala was accused of raping and impregnating a minor. He fled the scene, but was arrested for the heinous crime.

The minor was raped several times before she got pregnant. After she delivered the child at a private hospital, the newborn was taken to an orphanage without informing the girl.

But Sunday Shalom, a Christian weekly, said that the rape could have been stopped by the minor. The weekly said, "Here, the girl is above the age of 15. Let me tell you this, as I consider you like my daughter - you are also at fault. Before the Lord, it is you who will have to answer first. Daughter, why did you forget who a priest is? He has a human body and has temptations. He may have forgotten his position for a few seconds, my child who has taken the Holy Communion, why didn't you stop or correct him?"

Let us remind and would ask all those who are reading this to repeat after us - NO ONE ASKS FOR RAPE.

Eight people are involved in the case including five nuns, a doctor and a helper, along with the prime accused Father Robin for hiding the facts and helping in the delivery.

But this is not the only absurd and illogical remark that was given out regarding the survivor. According to Father Paul Thelekat of the Bishops' Council, "consumerism" is a reason behind rapes.

He told The News Minute in response to a query, "consumerism is indeed a situation affecting everyone in the world and priests are also in the world. It is in celibacy and in virginity the crisis become apparent first, then it will become a crisis of fidelity in marriage with extra-marital and premarital sex. Women are presented as commodity both in media and in advertisements and all commodities are marketed with girls and women where human body is dehumanised."

Also saying 'not all priests' are like Father Robin, Father Paul said, "in India there are 19,946 catholic priests and in Kerala, there are 9,033 of them. What we discuss is a case of failure of a small minority in living the lofty ideal of celibacy. The fact it is a minority does not make the sin and crime minor. The very fact that it gets news value is that it is an exception and a fall from the ideal."

Although, the church is assuring that it stands tall with the rape survivor and her family, it's disheartening to see how these cases are brushed under the carpet as many involved in such cases are individuals holding great power.

From a father who thinks women wearing jeans should die to another one who condemned crimes against children on TV but goes on to rape a minor, these priests being referred to as 'fathers' is an irony.