KERALA (INDIA)
UCA News
August 11, 2020
By Saji Thomas
Another clerical sex abuse case shocks the Christian community in the southern Indian state
An Orthodox church in southern India has suspended a priest and initiated an internal probe after an allegation that he raped a woman who sought his help to settle her dispute with her husband.
The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church based in Kerala suspended Father Babu Varghese Pookkottil after state police arrested him on Aug. 8 based on the woman’s complaint.
The priest of Sultan Bathery Diocese has been “suspended from all his priestly duties. We have also initiated a probe into the alleged incident,” diocesan secretary Father T.N. Kuriakose told UCA News.
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.