INDIA
The New Indian Express
COIMBATORE: A 61-year-old priest, who had faced two accusations of child sexual abuse in the USA, now roams free in Udhagamandalam, where the Catholic Church chose to remain blind to the excesses of Fr Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul.
On May 22, 2015, Jeyapaul had pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl while serving in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota.
The Roseau County District Court convicted him in June, but had to serve no time in prison beyond what he had done while waiting for court proceedings in the plea deal. He was then deported to India.
There was no conviction in the second case involving a 14-year-old girl in which Jeyapaul faced two counts of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct. The alleged misconduct was in 2004 and 2005.
Jeyapaul’s suspension from priestly duties, imposed in 2010, was lifted recently after consultations between the Ootacamund Diocese and the Vatican, church officials said.
Meanwhile, Jeyapaul is still “on leave” and travelling across the country, Ooty Diocese PRO Fr Sebastian Selvanathan told Express. “We will ask him to speak to you once he returns,” he added.
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.