By: Thamizhchelvan
The real face of the Church
Church in itself is an evidence to prove its own real face. Plenty of evidences are available in the history of Church and Christianity to prove that the Church is the worst and barbarous persecutor in the world. Where all it had invaded, it persecuted the native aborigines, destroyed their culture, converted them and Christianised the entire land under its invasion.
The Christian Clergy world over has an ugly track record of Child abuse, Sodomy, Rape and what not. The sex-crime of the Christian Clergy officially dates back to ‘Didache’ of 2nd century AD, which instructs, “Thou shalt not seduce young boys!” 1
A few snapshots will be in order:
January 2002 - John Geoghan left, defrocked Roman Catholic priest found guilty of indecent assault and battery
29 April 2002 - Cardinal Law of Boston admitted he allowed a pedophile priest to continue serving within the church
2 May 2002 - Retired Catholic priest Paul Shanley, arrested for child rape
25 May 2002 - Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland resigns, after acknowledging that his archdiocese paid $450,000 to settle a claim of sexual assault made against him
2005 – US Diocese spent $467 million on legal settlement with sex abuse victims
28 July 2006 - Paedophile church minister in Britain Simon Thomas jailed for life
While a website provides information of Clergy Abuse over the years, another one maintains a database of accused priests. The shocking details given by both the websites are a damning proof for the stink surrounding the Church and Christianity. Even the Popes are not holy cows either. Both the previous Pope John Paul and the present Pope Benedict have played their own parts in covering up the Clergy’s misdeeds. 2
Pope John Paul II protected Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer, who abused an estimated 2,000 boys for decades without sanction. He had failed to encourage bishops to report accusations of paedophilia by priests to the police; Ignored accusations against senior members of the clergy, at times promoting them to higher office; Allowed many priests accused of paedophilia to be transferred to a new diocese without anyone being warned of their record. He also decreed that “pontifical secrecy” must apply to cases of sexual abuse in church trials. 3
Similarly, the incumbent Pope is accused of inaction and cover-up when he was archbishop of Munich or as the Vatican's chief doctrinal enforcer. 4
The Papal apologies
As the stinking history of child sex abuse got exposed from across the world, the Pope was forced to tender apologies wherever he goes. Even while brazenly tendering apology, the Papal arrogance and a feeling of contempt for the victims was quite visible when he equated their sufferings with that of the “sufferings” of Jesus. On 21 March 2010, when he apologized during a Sunday Mass at Ireland, Pope Benedict XVI said, "It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the Church. In her name, I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel. I appeal to you to find hope and healing in knowing that Jesus was also a victim of sin and close to you in their suffering.” 5
Though he admonished the Priests of Ireland’s Catholic Church for their sins, the government of Ireland was not convinced as evidenced by its recent action of closing its embassy in the Vatican and breaking its ties with it. The Prime Minister of Ireland was gone on record saying, “Rome is stonewalling, if not obstructing, official enquiries into the abuse which went on as late as 2009. The Church is guilty of dysfunction, disconnection, elitism and narcissism.” 6
Again on 18 September 2010, amidst huge protests by thousands of people in London, Pope apologized at a solemn catholic service in the Westminster Cathedral. But then, the Pope’s leadership itself was questioned by the representative of the victims. In response to this latest papal denunciation of abuse Peter Isely of Milwaukee of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said: "Why, if the pope feels so much remorse, won't he take action? As Pope, he's removed two paedophile priests and demoted no corrupt bishops. He's disclosed not one document about the cover up. He's backed not one secular law that better safeguards kids. He's not defrocked a single bishop who secretly moved known predators. Showing remorse isn't leadership. Taking decisive action is leadership." 7
Yet again on 19 July 2011, faced with continuing sexual abuse scandal across Europe and the United States, Pope tendered yet another apology to "all those beautiful precious little children" who suffered at the hands of paedophiles in the Catholic Church. Even while tendering the apology, the Pope kept “smiling” and said, "We must never allow this to happen again," he continued, "no matter how enchanting we find their playful little smiles."
Enraged by his “smiling” arrogance, the victims said, “We felt a bit freaked out by the way the Pope kept smiling at us. Words are not enough; we need the Church to act so that child abusers are punished.” 8
The anniversary of an apology
Three years back, the Canadian government apologized to the survivors of “Indian Residential Schools” for the “death & abuse” caused by the Catholic, United and Anglican Church authorities since the early 19th century. Troy Media reported, “From 1831 to 1996, more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Metis children were taken from their communities and sent to one of the 130 federally-funded boarding schools administered by Catholic, United and Anglican Church authorities. The record of death and abuse in these schools is well documented. As early as 1909 Dr. Peter Bryce reported that mortality rates at residential schools in Western Canada ranged from 30 to 60 per cent. Over time, more than 12,000 individual allegations of physical and sexual abuse were brought to Canada’s courts.”
Significantly, the survivors of these residential schools talk about the loss of language, cultural traditions and the spirituality that was once the life blood of their communities. Despite the government’s attempt at reconciliation, the non-aboriginals refuse to indulge in talks showing their racist attitude. 9
The Catholic act of Stealing Babies
Last month, the BBC came out with a damning documentary titled, “Spain’s stolen Babies” exposing the ugly (50-year) scandal of “baby-trafficking” by the Catholic Church in Spain. It has come to light through investigations that, up to 300,000 Spanish babies were stolen from their parents and sold for adoption over a period of five decades, and that, the children were trafficked by a secret network of doctors, nurses, priests and nuns in a widespread practice that began during General Franco’s dictatorship and continued until the early Nineties.
The mothers were told that their kids were still born or dead and that they could not see the body if the infants. They were not even allowed to attend the “funeral”. But, in reality the babies were stolen and sold to those who are faithful to the Church. Documents were forged to include the adopted parents’ names. 10
The “Xian Tradition” in India
The Church in India is no way better. In fact, it does everything and takes care to maintain the western tradition of kidnapping, child abuse, rape and what not! Several such cases happen day-in and day-out. Despite the connivance of the “secular” governments run by “secular” political parties and the attempts made by “secular” media to hide those ugly stories from the public’s eye, several cases come out in the open exposing the culpability of the Padires and Nuns.
The Church operates through well-networked groups of NGOs and the so-called “Children Homes” and “Adoption Agencies”. The individual traffickers associated with these NGOs are allegedly paid by the Church and they masquerade as evangelists and missionaries. Quoting a few cases of the Indian Churches maintaining their western tradition of child abuse, rape, etc, will be in order.
In January 2010, 76 abused and malnourished children from Manipur (54 kids) and Assam (22 kids) were rescued from “Bethedsa Blessing Home” in Kanyakumari run by a Pastor by name Shaji. At the same time, 16 more children from Manipur were rescued from “Reach Home Children Foundation” in Mogappair, Chennai. They were found to be terribly abused and malnourished with severe attack of scabies. 11
These traffickers promise the poor parents in insurgency hit areas that they would give best education with food and good environment to their children and bring them to Tamil Nadu. Times of India, in its issue dated 26 January 2010, reported, “While 1,096 children's homes, housing 3.5 lakh children, are registered in the state, almost an equal number operate without registration, evading government scrutiny. The children aged six to 15 are kept in pathetic conditions and are often made to do jobs like carpentry, cooking and laundry. There have even been cases of children dying under suspicious circumstances and some being molested and abused.”
Incidentally, a majority of homes charged with trafficking are run by missionaries or evangelical societies. The present case is only the tip of a vast network, which receives crores of rupees from churches and agencies abroad by showing a large number of children under their "care". 12
A former Nun by name Florence Mary, who wanted to pursue her studies (MA Music) in 2006, was repeatedly raped by a Jesuit Priest Fr.R.Rajarathinam, who was the Principal of St.Joseph’s College in Thiruchy (Tamil Nadu). He is believed to have given the lady a cool-drink laced with drugs and raped her and threatened her with dire consequences if she revealed it. Taking advantage of her fear, he had abused her repeatedly and had forced her to undergo abortion when she became pregnant in 2008. Three other Padires Fr.Devadoss, Fr.Xavier Francis and Fr.Xavier were also accused of conniving with Fr.Rajarathinam to silence Florence Mary. It must be noted that Fr.Rajarathinam got acquainted with Mary during his frequent visits to “Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts”, where she was doing her MA Music. Though he obtained bail from HC, Supreme Court admitted Mary’s petition and directed him to reply within 4 weeks why his bail should not be cancelled. 13
In September 2011, 33 children including 10 girls in the age group of 10 to 18 years were rescued from an “Orphanage” named “Grail Trust” patronized by a British National by name Jonathan Robinson. Investigations have revealed that Jonathan Robinson is a Paedophile who made frequent visits to the home, where he sexually abused many children.
The British Paedophile Duncan Grant, who was convicted by the Supreme Court along with another British paedophile Alan John Waters in March 2011 for 6 years for sexually abusing boys in an orphanage in Mumbai, is also believed to have visited this Grail Trust. 14
In the same month, 42 girl children including 23 from Nepal were rescued from an orphanage named “Michael Job Orphanage” in Sulur near Coimbatore. Though the orphanage had a valid licence, it simply admitted the girls without checking the veracity of the claims made by the “social welfare organizations” which brought the “orphaned” girls. 15
The orphanage, in its website claims that the girls were daughters of martyred and persecuted Christians. But the truth is that it is not an ordinary orphanage, but a huge evangelical institution running a Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Arts & Science College and a B.Ed College, blatantly indulging in conversions too. The Founder Chairman P.P.Job is a self styled evangelist indulging in illegal conversion activities. 16
In November 2006, a Hindu girl by name Sukanya studying 12th standard in Fathima Higher Secondary School in Omalur near Salem was found floating dead in the school’s well. The school claimed that she committed suicide on scoring low marks. The same school ended up as a grave for a few more girl students before Sukanya. But nothing came out until a fact finding team unearthed those details after Sukanya’s death. Though the police believed the school’s story, public pressure resulted in CB CID investigation. Meanwhile the State Minority Commission submitted a report to the then DMK government attesting the version of the school authorities. Later during the investigation, 8 suspects including a friend of a priest-teacher of the school were identified as accused. Liquor bottles, used and unused condoms and broken pieces of bangles were also found in the school then. In November 2010 their DNA samples have been sent for clinical analysis to find out if they match with the spermatozoa taken from the vaginal swab of the girl in 2006. Even after one year, the result is yet to come! 17
In September 2011, Ms.Lasi Bosco, Principal of AKT Matriculation School in Kallakurichi near Villupuram was arrested along with another teacher Ms.Boshiya for sexually abusing a four year old girl child. 18
In July 2010, one Justine running “Arumai Packiam Manuel Orphanage” was arrested for indulging in Homosexuality and Voyeurism while orphanage girls were bathing besides involving those kids in begging. His Orphanage in Kanyakumari was raided by officers from the Child Welfare Committee and Social Welfare Department, and 18 girls and 14 boys were rescued. 19
Such ugly episodes of the Catholic way of living are aplenty in India too similar to Europe and America.
Just two years back, Dr.Sister Jesme Raphel shocked the Catholic Church by exposing all the ugly sexual abuses perpetrated on her by the Clergy through her autobiography sort of explosive book “Amen”. Close on her heels, Ex-Vincentian Catholic Priest K.P.Shibu came out with his own experiences of homosexuality at seminaries, sexual misconducts of clergy, ugly approach of superiors and looting of money In his book “Here is the heart of a Priest” K.P.Shibu had given an elaborate account of his 24 years in the Catholic Vincentian congregation.
His remarks about the “Jana Deepa Vidyapeeth” is very important and revealing in the sense that it was where the very recent “Hindu-Christian Dialogue” happened. K.P.Shibu says in his book that he was sexually abused by senior seminarians in JDV. He says, “Homosexual relations were rampant in seminaries. The victims had to suffer silently. If they complain…, both the accused and the victim would be shown the door. Hence, succumbing to the urges of the seniors was the only option…”
“During pastoral work, the seminarians used to travel on cycles. While moving around on a cycle, seminarians made a point to give lift to children. They (children) would be asked to tightly embrace the riding seminarian. Such acts were done with deliberate sexual intention,” he alleges in the book. “There had been incidents of senior seminarians pretending as priests and hearing confessions.” 20
Giving away children in adoption illegally is yet another Xian tradition which is followed religiously in India. Some NGOs indulge in illegal adoption rackets by giving children in adoption to foreigners quite often. Most of the cases either escape or made to escape the attention of the government authorities.
One of the famous NGOs by name “Guild of Service” was caught on the wrong foot by the Tamil Nadu State’s Social Welfare Department in November 2011. Between 2006 and 2010, this high profile NGO has given 202 children in adoption, including 54 to foreign countries, violating all the rules, and after receiving huge money as donation. The mandatory NOC was not obtained from the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), which is the authorized apex body. Founded by a group of British women in Chennai in 1923, it came under the control of a high profile lady by name Mary Clubwallah Jadhav. It has many branches across the country and claims to serve for empowerment of marginalized women and children. 21
The Delhi unit of the organization has some very high profile women in its board who also have connections with highly placed government personalities. Though the Delhi and Chennai units have different URLs for their websites (http://www.guildofservice.org and http://www.guildofservicecentral.org ), they have the same Emblem (Logo). The high profile and highly connected Delhi unit cannot wash its hands off its Chennai unit, especially on the issue of the adoption racket which has come to light now.
What is disgusting is the fact that, while 4000 childless couples are waiting in Tamil Nadu for months in queue for getting a child in adoption, this NGO had sold children abroad after collecting huge sums in the form of donations. It is also alleged that such NGOs have connections with many hospitals, which reminds us of the Spanish racket exposed by BBC. 22
Even while writing this column, Sri Lankan media reported that a Matron (Sr. Mary Eliza), from Mother Teresa’s Missionary Sisters of Charity Home “Prem Nivasa” in Moratuwa, was arrested for alleged sale of children. 23
So much for the Catholic way of serving the children cause!
References
1. http://www.clergyabuseaustralia.org/litrefs.htm
2. http://www.rickross.com/groups/clergy.html and http://www.rickross.com/groups/clergy.html and http://www.bishop-accountability.org
3. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
4. http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com
5. http://www.christianpost.com
6. http://www.thehindu.com
7. http://www.guardian.co.uk
8. http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com
9. http://www.troymedia.com/ .
10.http://www.dailymail.co.uk
11.http://www.thehindu.com and http://www.thehindu.com
12.http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
13.http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com and http://www.cathnewsindia.com/
14.http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
15.http://www.nepalitimes.com
16.http://drjobsmission.org/drjm/orphanage
17.http://archive.deccanherald.com
18.http://expressbuzz.com
19.http://m.pressmart.com
20.http://bharatabharati.wordpress.com/
21.http://www.asianage.com/
22.http://www.deccanchronicle.com
23.http://www.thesundayleader.lk/
(To be concluded…)
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