바카라If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.바카라 바카라1 John 1:9
Seven are the sacraments, and not least among them is confession. It is a believer바카라s refuge, to have her sins forgiven and absolved. What, then, if the confessional should itself become the seat of sin? Such is the allegation at the crux of a scandal that is simmering in Kerala바카라s Malankara Orthodox Church. A lay believer claims that his wife바카라s confessor 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.
In the audio clip, the husband, a resident of Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district, narrates his version of events as follows. In February, he had asked his wife about odd transactions in a recent bank statement, including a hotel bill, that didn바카라t tally with her accounts of where she had been at the time. She broke down and later told him what he alleges to be 바카라only 20 per cent바카라 of the details. A priest in her neighbourhood had raped her before her marriage바카라and 바카라he is still using her바카라. Later, around the time of her daughter바카라s baptism, she was struck by guilt and confessed in church. But the confessor, using the threat of revealing all to her husband, coerced her into sex. He then shared photographs of the act with another priest, who also started blackmailing her. The husband claims to have evidence that at least five priests, including one based in Delhi, were eventually involved. They would keep in regular contact with her and arrange rendezvous like the one at the hotel.
Emphasising his faith, the husband says he approached a bishop to set in motion the Church바카라s internal disciplinary process. Acknowledging the complaint, the Church issued a statement on June 26 saying, 바카라If the accused priests are found guilty, appropriate action will be taken against them. There will be no attempt to shield the guilty or victimise the innocent. Those who have raised the charge will get the chance to prove their case.바카라
The husband, who finds the prospect of the priests being punished with a six-month suspension from the bishop unsatisfactory, claims he has been intimidated and discouraged from pursuing the matter further. 바카라Some people from the Church are threatening me. Some are trying to persuade me to withdraw. Even some celebrities are calling me. Now they are lodging counter-complaints against me...but I have raw evidence, all documents.바카라
It seems that the couple have not begun to pursue legal avenues; when contacted, the Thiruvalla DySP told Outlook that the police were aware of the incident but no case had been filed as the aggrieved party had not yet filed any complaint. But there may be other considerations at play. According to journalist and social commentator Roy Mathew, 바카라The police are not filing a suo motu case as the incumbent LDF government is known to be close to the Orthodox church, which is believed to have helped the ruling coalition win the recent Chengannur by-election바카라
No church is new to such issues. Sister Jesme, former principal of St Mary바카라s College, Thrissur, stresses that confession is the crucial factor here, and that this case only came to light due to social media. 바카라I used to hear from girls in college about priests asking details about their sexual acts when they would try to confess it in minimum words. The priests asked questions such as how did you do it, how did you respond to it etc., which made these girls really uncomfortable,바카라 she says. Narrating her own experience, she recounts, 바카라I remember how shocked I was when a priest started talking to me about menstrual blood when I was confessing about getting angry due to exam stress.바카라
Is there any escape from such predation, with confession considered an unavoidable duty in many Christian denominations? Some churches allow their flock to confess directly to God, cutting out the middleman, but most don바카라t. A debate that took place in Australia recently may show one way forward: an inquiry resulted in a Royal Commission recommending that Catholic priests be legally bound to report confessions of sexual abuse of children. In the face of fierce resistance from the Church바카라the archbishop of Melbourne would reportedly prefer jail to violating the sanctity of confession바카라three states have adopted this into law thus far. 바카라It바카라s a progressive decision,바카라 says Jesme.
By Thufail P.T. & Satata Karmakar
