Two priests defrocked in Kerala following allegations of sexual abuse

By Arjun Raghunath
Deccan Herald
June 17, 2020

https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/two-priests-defrocked-in-kerala-following-allegations-of-sexual-abuse-850604.html

Two priests of the Tellicherry Archdiocese at Kannur district in Kerala have been defrocked in the wake of sexual allegations. Priests Joseph Poothotatil and Mathew Mullapally were defrocked.

A statement from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tellicherry said that the two priests were kept under suspension from church services pending inquiry in the wake of the serious allegations against them. The archdiocese also tendered apology to the believers for the wrong doings from the part of the priests, said the statement.

Even as the church was so far defending the allegations that the priests sexually abused a woman devotee since 2018, now the church is compelled to act as an audio conversation, believed to be that of one of the priests, in which he was admitting the sexual allegations, came out.

Both the priests served in the Pottanplavu parish under the Tellicherry Archdiocese. Father Joseph who served in the parish during 2018 allegedly sexually abused the woman. Father Mathew who succeeded him later sexually abused her, the woman alleged. It was alleged that though the woman complained the matter over phone to the archdiocese, there were no action taken.

The archdiocese's statement also said that as soon as the implicating audio conversation came to its notice, actions were initiated against the two priests. Even then baseless campaigns to tarnish the church's image are going on, it stated.