The All India Christians Forum has extended its full support to senior faculty member of Loyala College, Chennai who was sexually harassed by Father Xavier Alphonse, the former principal of Loyala College and former Director for Loyola College Alumni Association.
The woman had approached the Madras High Court in 2016 to get justice. The High Court issued notices to the accused Father Xavier Alphonse but no response has been submitted by the accused in the court till date. The case has been gathering dust for the past 4 years.
The Goa Chronicle quoted Savio Rodrigues, the President of the All India Christian saying that sexual harassment and sexual abuse is an evil that plagues the Catholic Church. He said that people like Father Xavier Alphonse assume that they can do anything and be safe under the protection of a powerful institution like the Jesuit Order (Loyola College belongs to the Jesuit Order).
“This attitude is behind the reason there has been no reply to High Court notices for 4-years from the accused priest and from the Loyola College as well. We believe in the judiciary, therefore we will use our legal expertise to ensure that the victim gets justice.”, Savio Rodrigues was quoted saying.
Mr. Rodrigues said that it is not normal for a middle class woman falling prey to sexual abuse at workplace to fight against a powerful institution like the Jesuit Order. The woman’s family had reached out Mr. Rodrigues for legal support who then decided to take up the case and help her get justice.
Mr. Rodrigues also noted that the Loyola College administration and alumni have remained mute on this case despite the fact that the sexual harassment survivor is known to most of the senior members.
Earlier, the apex body for Catholic Church in the country, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, facing allegations over repeated sexual harassment by its clergymen, released guidelines to be implemented in every “department, organisation, undertaking, establishment, institution, office branch or unit which is established, owned or controlled, wholly or partially financed by funds provided by the Catholic Church. This has only remained a toothless guideline as many instances of sexual harassment in Church gets reported.