INDIA
New Indian Express
By Babu K Peter | Express News Service
KOCHI: Even as a deluge of support pours in for Fr Robin, accused in the Kottiyoor sexual abuse case, the Kerala Theological Association (KTA) has issued an apology while accepting “the clergy may have deviated from the pious path”.
KTA, an organisation of priests, members of religious congregations and laymen engaged in research in theology, has tendered the apology in a statement to the victim, her family, the Catholic community and to society. “The unfortunate incident evokes nothing but apology. We apologise for deviating from the spiritual way and for misleading the people,” a statement issued by Fr Vincent Kundukulam said.
“It is an opportunity for priests to do a self-introspection. There is no point in covering it up by saying “we are also humans, after all,” he said.
Society holds priests in high regard as the people have great expectations from them. Emotional outbursts and reactions on media indicate how much trust and respect they have reposed in them, the statement said. It’s a misconception a person becomes divine once he is ordained a priest. If you consider priesthood as a profession and drift away from Jesus and the poor, you will fall, he said.
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