The Church hasn't filed any police complaint so far.
The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala has not yet filed a police complaint regarding the sexual harassment case involving a lady and some of its priests. According to The NewsMinute, the church authorities have put the onus on the victim to file a formal complaint.
TNM quoted a senior official as saying, " “What is stopping the woman from going to the police? Why should we approach the police when we have taken cognizance of the complaint and formed an internal committee to inquire? Suppose this was a case involving a minor, we would have approached the police ourselves. But in this case, the woman is an adult and she can seek the help of police if she wants to,”
Also, contrary to earlier reports, the church hasn't exactly taken any stern steps against the accused five priests. As of now, they have been sent on leave and action would be only taken post internal investigation is done. There is no indication about the timeframe for the investigation to end in a case that was reported three months back. Earlier reports suggested that the priests have been suspended and relieved from duty.
The Kottayam-based church on Tuesday said a "clear, impartial" probe was ordered after a man alleged some priests blackmailed and sexually abused his wife. The issue came to light last week after an audio clip containing the man's purported conversation with a church official alleging sexual abuse of his wife by the priests was widely circulated on social media.
The man from Pathanamthitta district alleged that some priests allegedly used his wife's secret confession to blackmail her. However, no police complaint has been lodged in the case. "If they are found guilty, necessary action will be taken against them... The accused will not be shielded and innocent will not be punished," the church said in a statement here. The church said it understood the sentiments of the followers and general public over the incident but condemned rumours being spread about it.
It also said steps would be taken to persuade priests to provide value-based divine service to its followers. Although the man, who came to know about the alleged sexual abuse and blackmailing by priests after checking his wife's e-mail account, has levelled allegations against eight priests, he has reportedly named only five priests as the role of three others in the incident could not be established.
With PTI inputs
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