One priest. (At least) Two minor girls.
Finally, the law caught up with him and he was arrested on the basis of an interpol notice.
It is quite clear the religious establishment in India was protecting him and had full knowledge of his whereabouts. Given the virtual gag on Indian media it is not clear when the interpol notice materialized. We suspect it came out at the latest in 2010. If this is true, it would be a disturbing extension of secularism. It also figures, since we have had political changes in the state of Tamil Nadu since. Perhaps with the ouster of MuKa and his lot, the priest lost his political patronage.
Also disgusting is the lack of coverage on Indian media. Contrast this with the "Sex Swamy" case where no rape or minors were involved. That case was on the headlines and on TV shows for months, with lurid coverage. Here, media seems to have no regard for the safety of children and the willful neglect of the same by religious and Govt authorities at the highest level possible.
This is a community that blows hard, really hard on "atrocity", "justice" etc. Guess practice is harder than preaching.
Balke wrote that Jeyapaul took a sixteen year old girl to his rectory in the Diocese of Crookston and "kissed her repeatedly, pulling her on top of him and at one point touching her beneath her clothing .... there were other incidents of similar behavior between Fr. Jeyapaul and [the sixteen year old girl]." The abuse happened between 2004 and 2005. Bishop Balke also stated that "because of the recent date of the alleged misconduct, it is impossible to say that Father Jeyapaul does not at present pose a risk to minors." Balke also asked the CDF to take the matter and penalize Jeyapaul as it sees fit. (Ex. 60)
We certainly gagged reading about the disgusting behavior of the priest. But what is truly alarming is the fact that after the aforementioned cases, the priest not only returned to India but was allowed to continue in an official capacity. This despite a letter from a priest in Minnesota to the Indian counterparts that the priest was a danger to women and kids.
Bishop Balke wrote to Cardinal Levada, the Vatican's head of the CDF, that Jeyapaul had been accused of sexually molesting a second girl. In the letter Balke told Levada that the allegations were that "Fr. Jeyapaul had 'rubbed up against her' in the rectory at Middle River, in the confessional at Middle River, and then fondled her breasts, exposed himself to her, and forced his penis into her mouth." Balke wrote that "it is impossible to say that Father Jeyapaul does not at present pose a risk to minors." Balke wrote that due to this second allegation possibly a more severe penalty was necessitated.
Finally, the law caught up with him and he was arrested on the basis of an interpol notice.
It is quite clear the religious establishment in India was protecting him and had full knowledge of his whereabouts. Given the virtual gag on Indian media it is not clear when the interpol notice materialized. We suspect it came out at the latest in 2010. If this is true, it would be a disturbing extension of secularism. It also figures, since we have had political changes in the state of Tamil Nadu since. Perhaps with the ouster of MuKa and his lot, the priest lost his political patronage.
Also disgusting is the lack of coverage on Indian media. Contrast this with the "Sex Swamy" case where no rape or minors were involved. That case was on the headlines and on TV shows for months, with lurid coverage. Here, media seems to have no regard for the safety of children and the willful neglect of the same by religious and Govt authorities at the highest level possible.
This is a community that blows hard, really hard on "atrocity", "justice" etc. Guess practice is harder than preaching.
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