INDIA
What They Knew
In a story from the ‘now we have heard it all’ file comes the sad and enraging story of Sister Mary Florence from Trichy, India. The nun’s quest for justice began when she alleges that she was raped and impregnated by Jesuit priest Rathinam Rajarathnam SJ the President of St. Joseph’s College from 2006-2008. She’s been excommunicated and kicked out of her order, he is still listed as Director of St. Joseph’s College and is still a Jesuit.
Francis Mary or Florence Mary, 28, once a nun, had joined the college in Tiruchy in 2006 for pursuing her MA. During this time, she met Rajarathinam, principal of St Joseph’s College. One day in January 2006, when she went to meet him, Rajarathinam served her a cold drink laced with sedatives, she alleged in the complaint. She was raped, obscene pictures were taken on his cellphone camera, and she was threatened against telling anyone about it.
Fr. Rajarathinam took her to several places and abused her, she said, adding that this resulted in a pregnancy which was aborted at a private hospital in 2008. However, when the news about her pregnancy and abortion became public, the nun was excommunicated and removed from the order.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.