The Kerala Police have begun investigating a widow’s complaint that a 37-year-old Catholic priest, Father Sebastian Nelson Kollanassery, sexually assaulted her under the pretense of marriage. According to her complaint, the priest raped her three times; once in 2022 and twice in 2023 at her home in Ernakulam district, Kerala. Father Kollanassery, who hails from Kerala, is currently serving in the Archdiocese of Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
The widow, in her forties and employed at a Church institution, filed the complaint on 11 February at the Trikkakara police station. She accused the priest of promising to marry her but later retracting his promise. Additionally, she alleges that Kollanassery recorded their intimate moments and blackmailed her into paying him 143,000 Indian rupees.
A senior police officer at the Trikkakara police station, requesting anonymity, mentioned, “We have not yet arrested the priest as the investigation is ongoing.”
The vicar-general of the Raipur archdiocese, Father Sebastian Poomattam, stated, “We have not received any information from the police regarding this case against one of our priests. The archdiocese has not taken any action against Kollanassery. However, we will cooperate with the police investigation if needed. The archdiocese will not protect any priest found guilty of sexual abuse.”
Father Kollanassery, ordained in 2019 and involved in parish ministries, has reportedly been missing since the complaint was filed, according to an unnamed archdiocesan official. The official added that they are awaiting the outcome of the police investigation to determine the truth.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) issued guidelines in September 2017 to address sexual harassment in the workplace and to protect women working in Church institutions. These guidelines require dioceses, parishes, and religious congregations to establish committees to investigate such complaints. Upon receiving a complaint, the committee must conduct a preliminary inquiry and report the incident to the police. Every Catholic institution with more than ten employees must adhere to the 30-page document “CBCI Guidelines to Deal with Sexual Harassment at Workplace.”
(With inputs from UCA News)
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