Outlook English - Print Subscribers Copy Outlook English, 09 July 2018 | Page 14
U NH OLY EARS
by Thufail P.T. & Satata Karmakar
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.” —1 John 1:9
S
EVEN are the sacraments, and
not least among them is confes
sion. It is a believer’s refuge, to
have her sins forgiven and abs
olved. What, then, if the confes
sional should itself become the
seat of sin? Such is the allegation at the
crux of a scandal that is simmering in
Kerala’s Malankara Orthodox Church.
A lay believer claims that his wife’s con
fessor used the details of a scandalous
confession to blackmail her, and that he
and several other priests went on to
sexually exploit her for years. The
scandal broke recently when an audio
clip of the husband discussing the issue
with an official over the telephone went
viral on social media.
A confession in church allegedly resulted in a Kerala
In the audio clip, the husband, a resident
woman being sexually exploited for years by priests
of Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district,
narrates his version of events as follows.
In February, he had asked his wife about to shield the guilty or victimise the inno- such issues. Sister Jesme, former princi-
odd transactions in a recent bank state- cent. Those who have raised the charge pal of St Mary’s College, Thrissur, stresses
that confession is the crucial factor here,
ment, including a hotel bill, that didn’t will get the chance to prove their case.”
The husband, who finds the prospect of and that this case only came to light due to
tally with her accounts of where she had
been at the time. She broke down and later the priests being punished with a six- social media. “I used to hear from girls in
told him what he alleges to be “only 20 per month suspension from the bishop unsat- college about priests asking details about
cent” of the details. A priest in her neigh- isfactory, claims he has been intimidated their sexual acts when they would try to
bourhood had raped her before her mar- and discouraged from pursuing the matter confess it in minimum words. The priests
riage—and “he is still using her”. Later, further. “Some people from the Church asked questions such as how did you do it,
around the time of her daughter’s baptism, are threatening me. Some are trying to how did you respond to it etc., which made
she was struck by guilt and confessed in persuade me to withdraw. Even some these girls really uncomfortable,” she says.
church. But the confessor, using the threat celebrities are calling me. Now they are Narrating her own experience, she rec
of revealing all to her husband, coerced lodging counter-complaints against me... ounts, “I remember how shocked I was
when a priest started talking to me about
her into sex. He then shared photographs but I have raw evidence, all documents.”
It seems that the couple have not begun menstrual blood when I was confessing
of the act with another priest, who also
started blackmailing her. The husband to pursue legal avenues; when contacted, about getting angry due to exam stress.”
Is there any escape from such predation,
claims to have evidence that at least five the Thiruvalla DySP told Outlook that the
priests, including one based in Delhi, were police were aware of the incident but no with confession considered an unavoida-
eventually involved. They would keep in case had been filed as the aggrieved party ble duty in many Christian denomina-
regular contact with her and arrange had not yet filed any complaint. But there tions? Some churches allow their flock to
may be other considerations at play. confess directly to God, cutting out the
rendezvous like the one at the hotel.
Emphasising his faith, the husband says According to journalist and social com- middleman, but most don’t. A debate that
mentator Roy Mathew, took place in Australia recently may show
he approached a bishop to
“The police are not filing a one way forward: an inquiry resulted in a
set in motion the Church’s
“The police are suo motu case as the inc Royal Commission recommending that
internal disciplinary pro-
not filing a suo
umbent LDF govern- Catholic priests be legally bound to report
cess. Acknowledging the
motu case as
ment is known to be close confessions of sexual abuse of children. In
complaint, the Church
to the Orthodox church, the face of fierce resistance from the
issued a statement on
the incumbent
which is believed to have Church—the archbishop of Melbourne
June 26 saying, “If the
government
helped the ruling coali- would reportedly prefer jail to violating
accused priests are found
is close to the
tion win the recent Che the sanctity of confession—three states
guilty, appropriate action
Orthodox
have adopted this into law thus far. “It’s a
ngannur by-election”
will be taken against them.
Church.”
No church is new to progressive decision,” says Jesme. O
There will be no attempt
Sin in the Box
14 OUTLOOK 9 July 2018