MüNSTER (GERMANY)
Crux [Denver CO]
June 25, 2025
By Nirmala Carvalho
In India, the Nalgonda Bishop Karnam Dhaman Kumar of Nalgonda has been barred from a German diocese over sexual abuse allegations.
The decision by the Diocese of Münster came following a complaint in March 2025 about an incident of sexual abuse against Kumar that allegedly happened during 2005 to 2007, according to The News Minute (TNM.)
In April this year, about a month before Dhaman was due to visit a parish in Germany where he had previously served as a priest, the Münster diocese prohibited him from any priestly activities in the diocese until further notice.
Kumar was appointed as the Bishop of Nalgonda by Pope Francis in February 2024. At the time, he had been serving as a parish priest in Münster, an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He was ordained a bishop on April 30, 2024.
When the alleged incident of sexual abuse happened, Kumar was serving as a chaplain in various churches in Münster.
The Münster diocese said its Intervention officer also filed a report with the Münster Public Prosecutor’s office. Confirming the complaint, a spokesperson for the Münster Public Prosecutor told TNM that the investigation is underway.
“Since the allegations in question are said to have occurred a long time ago, it will also be necessary to examine whether any criminal offenses have already time-barred (the statute of limitations has expired),” the spokesperson said, adding that only after this has been assessed can they comment on whether they will initiate specific investigations for particular offences.
Kumar served at the Münster diocese first from 2001 to 2012, and after various assignments in India, again from 2017 to 2020, when he served as a pastor. He moved to the parish of St. Bartholomäus in Oldenburg in 2020.
In its statement, the Münster diocese had mentioned that as per the rules for reporting sexual abuse in the Catholic Church issued by Pope Francis in 2019, “the diocese in which the allegations are made is obligated to inform both the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) in Rome.” The DDF is the Vatican office responsible for handling complaints of sexual abuse by members of the clergy.
The Münster diocese said they were also required to inform the Metropolitan Archbishop of the region in which the accused is residing. In Kumar’s case, the Nalgonda diocese falls under the purview of the Archdiocese of Hyderabad.
“In the case of the Bishop of Nalgonda, this is the Archbishop of Hyderabad, Cardinal Anthony Poola. The Diocese of Münster has fulfilled these obligations. Cardinal Poola must now request the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to initiate an investigation into the case,” the statement from the Münster diocese has said.
In a letter to Kumar dated April 17, which TNM has seen, the Münster diocesan administrator Antonius Hamers informed the Bishop of Nalgonda that he was forbidden from carrying out any priestly duties in the entire area of the Münster diocese till further notice, referring to the sexual abuse allegation reported to the Münster public prosecutor.
The letter refers to Kumar’s plan to travel to Germany in May 2025 to visit the parish of St. Bartholomäus, where he had served as a priest from 2020 to 2024.
Kumar was born in Viziagaram, Andhra Pradesh. He belongs to the Order of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales.