The below news item in 2004 may help -------------------
Molestation charges in sacred portals The Catholic church in Goa has come under fire for overlooking charges of misconduct by the clergy. By Devika Sequeira Source: The Deccan Herald. 24 August 2004. http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug242004/n14.asp Full text: The serious charge of sexual impropriety brought against one of its parish priests has embarrassed the Catholic community in Goa, and the newly appointed Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao. An FIR was registered by the crime branch last week against Fr Newton Rodrigues, parish priest of the Our Lady of Help Church, Ribandar, near the capital city of Panaji. The complainant, a 13-year-old girl, confirmed she was molested by the priest nine months ago within the church premises, Deputy Inspector General of police (DIG), crime, Muktesh Chander told Deccan Herald. The priest's statement was also recorded. Fearing that the arrest of the priest could trigger a communal situation, a police officer said: "The police appears uncertain on how it should proceed with the matter." The Church's pedantic attitude has helped little. "It has refused to take cognisance of our complaint against the priest, even though I met the Bishop personally," says activist lawyer Aires Rodrigues, a resident of the area who is spearheading a campaign that has angered the church. "The law must be equal whether the charges are brought against a priest or anyone else.," says social activist and councillor, Auda Viegas who heads Bailancho Ekvott, a women's organisation. She has spoken to both parties and feels the police must do its duty by taking action against the accused. She dismisses the church's argument that there is something fishy about the case being registered nine months after the incident took place. Such complaints are not time-bound. The mother of the victim had raised the matter with the priest immediately, she points out. The issue has vertically divided parishioners of the village, with some supporting the priest, and others not certain where matters stand. "We are really confused. No one seems to know what the truth is," one parishioner of the Panjim suburb said. The accusations against the priest come ironically at a time when the church had taken on the responsibility of screening a documentary on paedophiles in Goa. The documentary is being shown through 156 parishes here to serve as an "eyeopener", says the church. "The apathy of society towards the issue (paedophilia) is appalling. There is no judicial or social will to tackle the evil," Fr Valerian Vaz, the director of Caritas Goa said. Meanwhile, after the initial denials, church authorities said a committee headed by Archibishop Filipe Neri Ferrao will look into the charges. "We are taking the issue very seriously. A committee headed by the Bishop is conducting an investigation into the matter," spokesman for the Archbishop, Fr Loyola Pereira told Deccan Herald on Monday. The accusation and the media focus, is likely to compel the new Bishop to take a closer look at the track record of those within the clergy who have often crossed the line of rigid celibacy imposed on priests by the church. Aires Rodrigues T1 - B30, Ribandar Retreat Ribandar - Goa - 403006 Mobile: 9822684372
