JULY 4/UPDATED JULY 7, 2017
Cover-up of active homosexual priests in the Archdiocese of Bombay
I. The Rite of Sodomy: Homosexuality and the Roman Catholic Church
By Randy Engel*, New Engel Publishing (2006), over 1300 pages
The author, a solidly Catholic apologist, admits, “This book is not for the faint of heart. The subject of homosexuality is understandably distasteful. Its connection to the priesthood and the Catholic Church make it doubly so.” (Page xxiv)
According to Steven H. Propp, top 100 Amazon reviewer of the book (February 18, 2014), she (Ms. Randy Engel*) contends, “Pope Paul VI** is identified as a homosexual in numerous homosexual publications and his name appears on virtually every list of prominent homosexuals found on Homosexual Collective websites…. If it is true that Montini [his name before becoming Pope] engaged in a homosexual affair as a junior diplomat at the Vatican, it is almost certain that at least some members of the Roman Curia would have heard the rumors. However, since the young Battista was well protected by his politically powerful family and by other influential prelates including Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pius XII, there is little that could have been done to remove Montini from his diplomatic post.” (Pg. 1152, 1154)
[Source: https://www.amazon.com/Sodomy-Homosexuality-Roman-Catholic-Church/dp/0977860132]
This book is exhausting reading, but it is certainly “must reading” for anyone seriously studying homosexuality and the Catholic Church (although progressives will understandably hate it), Propp adds.
Another reviewer writes, “Mrs. Engel has been active in the pro-life cause since the 1970s, and her book helps us understand how prominent Catholic psychologists and clerics have contributed to this mess, and are still doing so…
Mrs. Engel points out too accurately that prominent Catholic bishops–the chief example being Rembert Weakland, OSB–who promote and/or practice homosexual acts are merely removed from their positions to less prominent ones. They do not lose their standing, their perks, or their pensions. Greater reforms are needed than these hollow ones. What a disgrace!”
*AN OPEN LETTER TO POPE FRANCIS-RANDY ENGEL
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/AN_OPEN_LETTER_TO_POPE_FRANCIS-RANDY_ENGEL.doc
INTERVIEW WITH JOHN VENNARI ON AMORIS LAETITIA AND SEX EDUCATION-RANDY ENGEL
MOST HOLY REDEEMER A GAY CATHOLIC PARISH-RANDY ENGEL
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/MOST_HOLY_REDEEMER_A_GAY_CATHOLIC_PARISH-RANDY_ENGEL.doc
HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH-THE RITE OF SODOMY-RANDY ENGEL
John Vennari of Catholic Family News (CFN) in their June 2006 issue of CFN described Ms. Engel’s book as “A Disturbing Book on a Disturbing Subject“. He adds that “the book contains 4,523 endnotes, a bibliography of over 350 books and a detailed Index. Mrs. Engel is a veteran pro-life worker and a noted journalist whose articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Catholic Family News. She is founder and director of the U.S. Coalition for Life, and author of the books Sex Education, the Final Plague, and The McHugh Chronicles.”
Vennari’s interview with Randy Engel: http://www.newengelpublishing.com/pages/CFN-Interview-on-Rite-of-Sodomy.html.
**POPE PAUL VI HOMOSEXUAL AND FREEMASON
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/POPE_PAUL_VI_HOMOSEXUAL_AND_FREEMASON.doc
WHY WAS THE BEATIFICATION CAUSE OF POPE PAUL VI SUSPENDED?-FR LUIGI VILLA
The photograph at the top of page 1 is that of Oswald Cardinal Gracias, the Archbishop of Bombay.
He has an unenviable history of overtly supporting the gay/LGBTQ lobby as can be seen in the files here:
CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS INTERPRETS POPE FRANCIS PERSONAL REMARK ON HOMOSEXUALS AS CHURCH TEACHING
CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS CHAMPIONS LGBT CAUSE AT HOME
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/CARDINAL_OSWALD_GRACIAS_CHAMPIONS_LGBT_CAUSE_AT_HOME.doc
CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS CHAMPIONS LGBT CAUSE AT THE SYNOD ON THE FAMILY
Presently, we have been fruitlessly pursuing with him, in his capacity as President, Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), the case of the sexual molestation and rape of several young women by Fr. Joby Kachappilly VC, former Director of one of the Vincentian Congregation‘s 40-odd retreat centres in two locations in India and in Toronto, Canada. We have called for the defrocking and laicization of the priest and for “justice” for the rape victims symbolizing the Church’s simple acknowledgement of his guilt and crimes, but the Vincentian Fathers have responded with silence, intimidation and even blackmail, while quickly shipping off the rapist-priest to Rome, and the senior hierarchy of the Indian Church as represented by Cardinal Oswald Gracias and his confreres have ignored all of our emails thus obliging us to place the details of the matter (in stages) in the public domain:
RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE BY INDIAN PRIESTS-CHURCH FAILS TO PUNISH GUILTY 01
MARCH 2015/24, 26 OCTOBER 2016/24 JANUARY/28 FEBRUARY/4 MARCH 2017 (General)
RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE BY INDIAN PRIESTS-CHURCH FAILS TO PUNISH GUILTY 02
17/22 JUNE 2017 (General continued)
RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE BY INDIAN PRIESTS-CHURCH FAILS TO PUNISH GUILTY 03
18 JUNE 2017
(FR. ROBIN VADAKKUNCHERIL)
RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE BY INDIAN PRIESTS-CHURCH FAILS TO PUNISH GUILTY 04
22/28 JUNE/2 JULY 2017 (CORRESPONDENCE RELATED TO RAPE COMMITTED BY FR. JOBY KACHAPPILLY VC)
RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE BY INDIAN PRIESTS-CHURCH FAILS TO PUNISH GUILTY 05 (PROFILE OF FR. JOBY KACHAPPILLY, THE ABSCONDING RAPIST PRIEST HIDING IN ROME)
Pope Francis has warned those bishops who cover-up sexual abuse and shield clerical predators:
AS A LOVING MOTHER
POPE FRANCIS’ MOTU PROPRIO JUNE 4, 2016
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/AS_A_LOVING_MOTHER.doc
POPE FRANCIS AUTHORISES REMOVAL OF BISHOPS NEGLIGENT ON SEXUAL ABUSE
II. The Catholic Church at the End of an Age – What is the Spirit Saying?
By Dr. Ralph Martin, Ignatius Press (1994), over 300 pages
I have several of Ralph’s books, some of them autographed by him, in my book library. After reading the one referred above, especially the section of it that I am going to reproduce here, I have often described him to others as a Catholic prophet of the 21st century, both in the sense of his correctly predicting the impact of the pedophilia crisis as well as in the sense of his unflinching speaking of the unpalatable truth as opposed to the vast majority of his peers and successors in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal who prefer to act like the proverbial three monkeys when it comes to the dismal failures of many of our pastors.
Before I proceed to type out the pages related to the sex abuse scandals from Dr. Martin’s book, for those of you who don’t know:
Ralph Martin is president of Renewal Ministries in Ann Arbor, Michigan and director of graduate programs in the new evangelization at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. He is visiting professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio and host of a weekly television program, The Choices We Face.
Ralph is the author of a number of books, the most recent of which are The Urgency of the New Evangelization: Answering the Call; The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints, and Will Many Be Saved? What Vatican II Actually Teaches and Its Implications for the New Evangelization.
Pope Benedict XVI named him consultor to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization.
He and his wife, Anne, have six children and three grandchildren.
Commencing page 120:
It is embarrassing and humbling when the Church’s “dirty linen” is hung out by the media for all to see.
The cases of priests who use their relationship with young boys to have sex with them is sending shock waves through the Church and through society. Over four hundred cases have been acknowledged by the American bishops, and hundreds of millions of dollars have already been paid out in settlements (and he wrote this over two decades ago!), but the problem is certainly wider than what has currently come to light. 8 By 1995 it is expected that the price of the scandal in judgements from lawsuits will have reached a billion dollars.
9
One American archdiocese has warned it is in danger of having to declare bankruptcy because of the number of sexual abuse cases:
Faced with dozens of sexual molestation claims against priests in New Mexico, the Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe has told parishioners that it might have to file for bankruptcy. It has also asked parishioners to help defray millions of dollars in settlement costs and legal expenses to spare it from becoming the first American archdiocese ever to file for Chapter II bankruptcy.
In a letter read from pulpits or posted on bulletin boards in 91 parishes and missions throughout New Mexico on Sunday, Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan noted that with victims of sexual misconduct demanding upto $50 million in damages and the Church’s insurers balking, bankruptcy loomed. Acknowledging that he was taking a “drastic” step, he asked each parish to contribute whatever cash and property it could rather than have them seized by the courts…
Church officials here estimate that over a 30-year period as many as 200 people were abused by 45 to 50 priests. The archdiocese is currently defending itself in 41 separate lawsuits. Another 20 people have said that they had claims but have not yet retained lawyers. Nineteen cases have already been settled for $10,000 to $600,000. The payouts have varied with the duration and severity of the abuse, which runs from single unwanted kisses to eight years of oral sex and sodomy.
10
In the United States, 48% of Catholics polled believe that sexual abuse by priests is common, 53% believe that the Church is handling the abuse issue badly and 64% think that the Church is more concerned with her image than with solving the sex abuse problem. 11 37% of Catholics in Canada have indicated their faith has been shaken by the exposure of such sexual corruption among clergy in Canada. 12
I am afraid this is only the tip of the iceberg. For years ordinary Catholics have written to me telling of their personal experiences with situations such as the ones that are now being exposed and others as well. Priests frequenting homosexual bars, priests having affairs with married women in their parishes, priests who serve as judges on marriage tribunals granting annulments without hearing the testimony of the other spouse, and sometimes a priest even leaving the priesthood and marrying the woman whose marriage had just been annulled.
The issue of annulments is also profoundly troubling to many ordinary Catholics who have been faithful to their marriages despite many difficulties. […]
American officials respond that these statistics, while accurate, reflect the greater efficiency of American tribunals. Some canonists claim that such a high percentage of annulments are granted because the weaker cases are screened out from the beginning. It is not a response that is fully convincing either to ordinary Catholics or Rome. It would be far better to admit that there have been abuses and efforts are being made to correct them than to pretend that everything has always been fine.
When ordinary Catholics have written to me troubled by matters like this, I have generally counseled them to bring their concerns to their bishop, who has often refused to see them or to respond to letters or, most commonly, who simply transfers the priest in question to another parish, where the problem often recurs (Catholics in India, does this ring a bell?).
It was not until hundreds of lawsuits, massive publicity, and hundreds of millions of dollars of damage judgements against the Church were rendered that serious efforts were undertaken that actually might be effective in dealing with the grave problem of priest pedophilia… When an individual or the Church as a whole has no self-discipline, God will often allow the world to do the job that needs to be done. (The Indian Church appears to be heading in the same direction.)
Cardinal O’Connor, Archbishop of New York, has expressed his spiritual sense of what is happening in the exposure of this moral corruption in the Church: “The Church is going through a period of trial by fire, and when fire doesn’t destroy, it purifies.” 14
It is important that this trial by fire doesn’t destroy our own faith or our faith in Christ’s presence in the Church and in his many godly priests.
St. Augustine in one of his letters had some good advice that is very applicable to the situation in which we find ourselves today. He was writing in regards to a possible homosexual scandal between a priest and an aspirant to the priesthood.
Of those who take pleasure from these griefs of ours … we have learned to pray for them and to wish them well. For what other purpose do they sit there, and what else do they aim at, than to assert and contend without any proof, when some bishop or cleric or monk or nun has fallen, that all are like that!
Yet, when some married woman has been shown an adulteress, they do not cast off their wives or accuse their mothers. But when it comes to those who have professed a sacred calling if some false charge has been rumored, or some true one published, they pick it up, embellish it, spread it about, to make it believed everywhere…
We should not be discouraged, we should not be frightened, when we see charity growing cold in the face of increasing immorality, nor depressed at sudden and unexpected events. Remembering those things that were predicted before the end, should we not faithfully persevere to the end, because after the end of time we will be raised to that life without anxiety, which will have no end? 15
[…]
Of course, “none of us is without sin, and we all make many mistakes” (James 3:2a), but sooner or later, if we do not voluntarily deal with our sin and bring it into the light for God’s forgiveness and for grace to change, God will bring it out into the light for us or we will find ourselves gradually cut off and isolated from the initiatives that God himself is undertaking, utilizing volunteers. (Here I am, send me!)
I know that this has been true in my life, and in ways that are quite parallel to what seems to be happening in a wider way in the Church.
Notes
8. “Stresses Pope’s concerns for victims of pedophile priests”, Wanderer, July 1, 1992, page 1
9. Gianni Cardinale, “The Price of Scandal”, 30 Days, nos. 7/8 (1993):26.
10. David Margolick, “Facing costly sex abuse cases, Archdiocese turns to parishioners”, New York Times, December 22, 1993, pp. A1, A11
11. “How U.S. Catholics view their Church”, USA Today, August 10, 1993, page 6A.
12. “A Church at odds with its adherents”, Maclean’s, April 12, 1993, page 49.
14. Peter Steinfels, “Pope vows to help bishops remove priests who molest“, New York Times, June 22, 1993, pp. 1, A6
15. St. Augustine, Letter 78.
III. A Crisis of Truth
By Dr. Ralph Martin, Servant books (1983), 245 pages
Chapter 8. The Undermining of Sexual Morality
A particularly disturbing development in the education of our future priests is the growing popularity of “sexuality seminars” designed to “desensitize” seminarians to all kinds of disordered sexual behavior, helping them to get in touch with their “feelings” about sexuality and become “empathetic and non-judgmental” in their ministries and personal lives.
In one seminary, a sexuality seminar used color films .which explicitly depicted perverse sexual behavior. Heavy pressure was exerted on the seminarians to attend the seminar and to View and discuss the films. When this scandal became public, it was further discovered that the films had been produced and supplied by a sex center in San Francisco that has developed materials explicitly designed to break down moral inhibitions and to present sexual immorality as attractive and desirable. Some members of the board of the center are well-known opponents of Catholic morality. 38
Notes
38. Robert Eldridge, “Sex Seminar Questioned,” National Catholic Register (November 30, 1980), p. If. See also the report prepared by the U.S. Coalition for Life. For information write to the U.S. Coalition for Life, Box 315, Export, PA 15632.
The reviewer of Ms. Randy Engel’s book “The Rite of Sodomy” wrote (as we read above) “clerics have contributed to this mess, and are still doing so… What a disgrace.”
In view of the long list of sexual abuses cases of young boys and girls, and of nuns and seminarians, by Indian Catholic priests both within the country and overseas, we can say the same of our situation.
On the matter of “priests having affairs with married women in their parishes” (to cite Ralph Martin), I can vouch for that from what I saw and heard in my 13 years stay in the Archdiocese of Delhi.
There was Fr. Beschi D’Almeida, Asst. Parish Priest of St. Michael’s Church, Prasad Nagar, who was carrying on with servant maids. His parish priest and former Vicar General Fr. Victor D’Souza can testify to that. My wife and I saved a young novice from his lecherous grasp by confronting him directly.
The late Fr. Jorge D’Souza, principal of St. Michael’s School, was having an affair with one Mrs. Ruby Lobo.
The late Fr. Paul Cardozo of the Sacred Heart Cathedral was in a relationship with one Blossom (I forget her surname), a married woman.
Fr. Arnold David, an aged priest still alive is even now facing criminal charges in court, I am informed. He was having an affair with a married woman who left her husband Peter Anthony, later an employee at the office in the Archbishop’s House. There were two priests, siblings (I never met them and cannot recall their names now as nearly three decades have passed) about whom news of affairs was circulating.
Let us not forget Fr. Dominic Emmanuel SVD, Archdiocesan spokesperson whose amorous exploits are mentioned in one of my rape series reports, either 01 or 02. Letters from his victim-survivors with evidence are in my possession. There are more priests but I have long since sort of deleted those horrible memories.
Not a few priests, like the one at the Okhla church who stumbled off the altar while saying Mass, were alcoholics. Fr. Beschi D’Almeida had to be sent for rehab which had little effect. All of this was common knowledge. The priests either prospered where they were, or were transferred around*.
I do not know much about the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore in which I now reside because I do not go outside of my home except to church, but if the Delhi Archdiocese is any indication, this is common in other metropolitan cities as well. *Continued on page 15
Ralph Martin wrote, “It is embarrassing and humbling when the Church’s “dirty linen” is hung out by the media for all to see.” True. But the rape series reports 01 through 04 and beyond will testify that my team and I tried our level best to keep the matter within the domain of the Indian Church… most unsuccessfully.
*
Few are called, fewer chosen
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Few-are-called-fewer-chosen/articleshow/4872377.cms
By Joeanna Rebello Fernandes, Mumbai, August 9, 2009
In 1987, an advertisement circulated in Ford city, Detroit. It pictured three sanguine men-black, white and Hispanic. The tagline was tight: ‘We want to collar a few good men’. The campaign cycled for six months for a bill of 300,000 dollars. It worked. The Archdiocese of Detroit pocketed more priests.
Today, the Vatican is worried. A holy head count across continents has dispiriting news-six per cent of Europe’s priests gave up the cloth (through death or denial) in the last seven years. The good news is that Asians and Africans are still donning it. Pope Benedict XVI has declared 2009-10 the Year of the Priest. This has as much to do with the 150th death anniversary of St John Mary Vianney-patron saint of parish priests, as it does with wintry statistics.
The West is desperately trying to fill in the blanks (The Archdiocese of New York released a one-minute recruitment commercial last year, titled ‘The world needs heroes’). India, with the sixth-largest contingent of Catholic priests in the world, is not as hard up but there has been a dip. According to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), India had close to 28,000 priests nine years ago. Today, the tally stands at 19,000. This year, only 10 novices signed up in Mumbai, while in Goa-the one time fount of vocations, only 19 are considering the cassock.
Clearly, there are not enough coming in to replace those going out. “Recruitments to the priesthood have been more or less static in India for the last five years,” says Fr Joe Mathias, director of the National Vocation Service Centre at Pune, a unit focused on inducting and training priests. “What has changed is the geography of enlistments. While there is active enrolment in tribal areas of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and the North East, traditional ecclesiastical fronts like the west coast and Kerala are getting weaker.”
If boys aren’t exactly making a beeline for the pulpit, it is the compound fault of our distractive times. Atomic families, a ripe employment scenario, globalisation and its effect on the Catholic mind, which has come to interpret the good life as LG, and not the liturgy. “Today’s generation cannot conceive of a lifelong commitment to anything, be it marriage or the clerical life,” says Fr Mathias. Also, unlike before, when parents themselves were wardens of the faith who glowed in the ordination of their sons, now the home folk would rather their boys stand in front of the altar than behind it.
“Birth control has shrunk the family, and parents with only two (as opposed to twelve) children, want them around,” says a Spanish Jesuit, who requested anonymity. “Also, with both parents working and hard-pressed for time, who will cultivate Christian principles in the child and educate him about the faith?”
But even those who have grown up reciting the rosary shrink from the demands of poverty, chastity and obedience. In Portugal, Spain and Italy, the original exporters of men of the cloth, youngsters would rather join a football league.
It is a lean life, no doubt, and there have been some who abandoned the cross halfway, but the church has made its peace with this attrition. “Yes, 15 priests may have quit in the last 10 years, but 350 are still faithful, and you need to focus on those numbers too,” insists Fr Harry Vaz, rector of St Pius Seminary-a college of parish priests-in-the-making. If the Bombay Archdiocese ever felt the need to put out an ad like the Americans did, a picture of the 26-acre foliated grounds of the seminary would make every boy want to become a Brother.
Inducement may have been a one-time ruse, but no longer. Now it’s more practical to welcome those who’ve independently heard `the call’. “In 1967, when I joined the seminary, there were 23 students,” says Fr Vaz. “At the end of the course, only nine remained.” Today, fewer join, but fewer drop out.
To be a model priest in these sexually explicit, morally equivocal times is hard. “There are temptations, but by God’s grace, when you are committed you can overcome them,” declares Brother Sunil Munis, a student at St Pius. Munis, who is from Dongri Tarodi village in Bhyander, had to work on his parents for nine years before he convinced them to let him join the priesthood. He’s certain that nothing will make him leave. “After all, no one forced me here, and no one forces me to stay.”
“There are temptations…” Look who’s talking! Meet Reverend Fr. Sunil Munis, sodomite, pages 9 ff.
Meanwhile, there’s Fr. Lawrence Johnson of the same Archdiocese… who was “caught”. Immediately below.
Fr. Lawrence Johnson
Press release on Fr. Johnson
http://archdioceseofbombay.org/news/diocesan/press-release-fr-johnson
December 6, 2015
Fr L. Johnson, a priest of the Archdiocese of Bombay, assigned as Priest-in-charge of Christ the King Church, Shivaji Nagar, Govandi is in judicial custody for allegedly having sodomised a 13-year-old boy in Govandi on November 27.
The Cardinal has initiated an impartial inquiry into the conduct of the priest and on the basis of the evidence gathered, if guilty, appropriate action will be taken. Representatives of the Archdiocese have met with the victim and his family and are in the process of ascertaining the facts from them. All assistance is currently being rendered to the victim’s family.
For further information and any enquiries regarding this matter, please contact:
The Press Office
Archdiocese of Bombay
19 months down the line, no one knows the outcome of the “enquiry”. I doubt we ever will.
Mumbai Church to deal with ‘benchmark’ clergy abuse case
Case will test new norms and procedures promulgated by Indian bishops’ conference
http://www.ucanews.com/news/indian-church-to-deal-with-benchmark-clergy-abuse-case/74747
http://www.ucanindia.in/news/mumbai-church-to-deal-with-benchmark-clergy-abuse-case/30904/daily
http://www.votf.org/content/voice-faithful-focus-dec-18-2015
By Christopher Joseph, Kochi, December 8 and 9, 2015
A Catholic priest has been arrested for allegedly sodomizing a 13-year old boy in Bombay Archdiocese.
Mumbai police arrested Father Lawrence Johnson, 51, accused of abusing the boy on Nov. 27 at Christ the King Church parish, archdiocesan spokesman Father Nigel Barret told ucanews.com Dec. 7.
The priest is “now under judicial custody,” Father Barret said adding that Father Johnson was arrested Dec. 1 following complaints from the alleged victim’s family.
“Representatives of the archdiocese have met with the victim and his family … All assistance is currently being rendered to the victim’s family,” Father Barret said.
The case is the first reported case of clergy sex abuse since the church in India put in effect on Nov. 1 a Vatican-approved procedure to deal with allegations of sex abuse by Catholic clergy.
[ON HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE PEDOPHILIA ISSUE
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/ON_HOMOSEXUALITY_AND_THE_PEDOPHILIA_ISSUE.doc]
“The procedure has zero tolerance toward clergy sex abuses” and puts in place stringent and transparent investigative methods, said Father Joseph Chinnayan, deputy secretary general of the Indian bishops’ conference.
Benchmark abuse case
Virginia Saldanha*, a Catholic theologian and women’s right activist, said Catholic leaders across India will be watching how the archdiocese handles the case.
“This is the first publicized case of child sex abuse by a member of clergy (since the new procedures were put in place). It will surely be a benchmark on how the church is prepared to deal with such cases,” she told ucanews.com.
Father Barret said the archdiocese will send the results of its investigation to the Vatican to determine further canonical action. If found guilty, Father Johnson will be defrocked or laicized, he said.
Saldanha, an outspoken activist on the rights of abuse victims, wondered why church officials have not published for public consumption the procedural norms on dealing with clergy abuses.
“The norms need to be published. That will show their earnestness to rout out this crime of abuse,” she said.
“Perhaps they fear publishing the norms will open a flood-gate of complaints of sexual abuse,” she added.
*A liberal pro-women priests lay “theologian”
Mumbai Catholics demand action against tainted priest
http://mattersindia.com/2016/06/mumbai-catholics-demand-action-against-tainted-priest/
Mumbai, June 6, 2016
A new papal decree to deal with clergy abuse has emboldened a section of Catholics in Bombay archdiocese to demand action against a priest arrested for sexually abusing a teenage boy.
“Cardinal Oswald Gracias who is archbishop of Bombay has to act fast and push for this,” says Cletus Gomes from Bandra, a major Catholic center in the western Indian metropolis of Mumbai.
Gomes, 76, wants to know why the cardinal should wait to disrobe a priest “if there is a First Information Report (FIR) filed against (him) for such misdeed.”
Fr. Lawrence Johnson, who is facing an FIR, has spent the past six months behind bars, reports mumbaimirror.com.
Gomes and other Catholics want the cardinal to take stringent action against the 51-year-old priest, especially after Pope Francis approved measures to sack bishops who mishandle child sexual abuse cases.
Vatican announced on Saturday that bishops who are “negligent” in dealing with priests committing abuse will be removed under the new legal procedures.
A. M. Sodder, another Catholic layman from Mahim, says the accused priest should have been disrobed by now. The “Vatican is like an appellate authority, but action has to be taken by the archbishop. By now, (Cardinal Gracias) should have taken a decision,” he asserts.
Father Nigel Barrett, spokesperson of Bombay archdiocese, says the case has gone to the Vatican now. “I do not know the timeline to respond by the Vatican,” he added.
The spokesperson also said action cannot be taken against Fr Johnson as long as he is in prison. “This is because he cannot be interviewed. There is always the presumption of innocence till proven guilty.”
The Shivaji Nagar police arrested Fr Johnson on November 27, 2015, on the charge of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy at a church and booked him under Section 377 (unnatural sex) of the Indian Penal Code and various sections of the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Soon after his arrest, the archdiocese set up a three-member panel to probe the allegations, following which a report was submitted.
Mirror had reported that the victim was undergoing counseling. “He goes to school but refuses to go back to the church. We have started going to the church but that place reminds us of the trauma our child has undergone,” said the child’s mother on Sunday, adding that she hopes that the archdiocese sets the right precedent.
The papal decree comes in response to long-running demands by abuse victims and their supporters to hold bishops accountable if they fail to protect their flocks from pedophiles.
Existing laws relating to abuse cases would be tightened, the Pope said.
He acknowledged that canon law already allows for a bishop to be removed for negligence but says he wants a more precise definition of the “grave reasons” that could lead to dismissal.
Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying that the pontiff had also established a group of lawyers to help him make decisions that could result in the dismissal of a bishop.
His motu proprio (on his own impulse) decree emphasizes that the Church “loves all its sons, but cares for and protects with special attention those who are weakest and defenseless.”
This explains the requirement for priests, especially bishops, to display “particular diligence” in this area, the Pope said.
Although Pope Francis has now led the Catholic Church for more than three years and has promised speedy action on clerical sex abuse scandals and cover-ups, disciplinary action against senior churchmen judged negligent in dealing with these scandals has been sporadic and slow.
The new Papal document comes just two weeks after a top French cardinal came under fire for allegedly covering up a serious case of clerical sexual abuse.
Apart from calling for special diligence by bishops in carrying out their duty to protect children and vulnerable adults from priests who are known molesters, the new document does not imply any greater overall accountability on the part of senior church officials charged with investigating crimes committed by clergy.
Some bishops have covered up abuse by transferring perpetrators from parish to parish rather than reporting them to police.
Pope Francis set up a Vatican commission to establish best practice in relation to abuse cases and expose wrongdoing in parishes in 2014. The pontiff tweeted on Saturday: “Let us hear the cry of the victims and those suffering, no family without a home, no child without a childhood.”
The Catholic Church has for much of the last 15 years been forced on the defensive by scandals involving priests who are alleged to have abused children and then been transferred rather than handed over to the authorities.
Papal diktat fuels clamour to strip tainted priest of his post
By Jyoti Shelar, Mumbai, June 6, 2016
The simmering anger among city’s Catholic community triggered by the arrest of a priest from Govandi on the charge of sexually assaulting a teenaged boy has begun to intensify following an announcement that Pope Francis has approved measures to sack bishops for mishandling child sexual abuse cases.
While Lawrence Johnson, 51, is facing an FIR and behind bars for the past six months, community members are questioning why the churchman is still not disrobed.
“Cardinal Oswald Gracias who is archbishop of Bombay has to act fast and push for this. If there is a First Information Report (FIR) filed against a priest for such misdeed, why should they wait for anything to rusticate of disrobe him,” said a 76-year-old Cletus Gomes from Bandra. Another parishioner from Mahim, A M Sodder, said that Vatican is like an appellate authority, but action has to be taken by the archbishop. “By now, he should have taken a decision.”
Bishops who are “negligent” in dealing with priests committing abuse will be removed under the new legal procedures, Vatican announced on Saturday.
The Shivaji Nagar police arrested Johnson on November 27, 2015 on the charge of sexually abusing a13-year-old boy at a church and booked him under Section 377 (unnatural sex) of the Indian Penal Code and various sections of the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Soon after his arrest, the archdiocese had set up a three-member panel to probe the allegations, following which a report was submitted. “The case has gone to the Vatican now. I do not know the timeline to respond by the Vatican,” said spokesperson of the Archdiocese, Father Nigel Barrett.
The spokesperson said action cannot be taken against Johnson as long as he is in prison. “This is because he cannot be interviewed. There is always the presumption of innocence till proven guilty.”
Mirror had reported that the victim was undergoing counselling. “He goes to school but refuses to go back to the church. We have started going to the church but that place reminds us of the trauma our child has undergone,” said the child’s mother on Sunday, adding that she hopes that the archdiocese sets the right precedent.
Mumbai cops frame charges against Catholic priest for sodomy
Kochi, March 2, 2017
Last year, the special POCSO court rejected the priest’s bail plea.
Two years after his arrest, charges have been framed against Fr Lawrence Johnson (52) for allegedly abusing a teenage boy from his parish in Shivaji Nagar.
The court framed the charges under section 377 (unnatural sexual offences) of the Indian Penal Code and sections under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The case will come up for hearing on March 10.
The prosecution said that on November 27, 2015, the victim visited the church with his brother. After prayers, the accused called the boy inside to keep a box, closed the door from inside and sexually assaulted him, it said.
The prosecution said in a statement to the magistrate that the child said a similar incident took place in August 2015.
It said the boy was examined on December 1, 2015 and medical evidence showed injuries to his private parts. The case is registered with the Shivaji Nagar police station.
Last year, the special POCSO court rejected the priest’s bail plea. The defence said the priest was dedicated to the church for 15 years. It said he used to allow concessions for students in school fees and this was afforded to the victim and his siblings for some years; subsequently a false case was made up as it was refused.
The Archdiocese of Bombay had appointed a three-member committee to conduct an internal investigation. Fr Nigel Barrett, spokesman for the archdiocese, said, “The inquiry report has been submitted to the Vatican, which will decide if there is merit in the allegations. I am not privy to the outcome of the inquiry.”
The priest is receiving legal aid from the Conference of the Diocesan Priests of the archdiocese as part of his “right to defence”.
The case will be a litmus test for the Catholic Church on handling such sensitive matters. Punishment could range from censure to suspension or dismissal from priesthood. For now, it seems disrobing Fr Lawrence Johnson, divesting him of priesthood, could take years, if it happens. Fr Nigel said, “The common practice in such cases that we await the court verdict before taking a decision. We do not want to be seen as influencing the legal process.”
Meanwhile, Fr John Almeida, who has taken charge of the troubled parish, said the boy’s family had left the locality. “We are trying to win back the community’s confidence. The parish is split over the incident and we are careful not to take sides,” he said.
Denial, lies, excuses, procrastination, indecisiveness and cover-up is the response of the Church.
Fr. Sunil Munis –
sunil.munis@yahoo.com
http://stjohnthebaptistthane.com/our_parish/parish-team.html
On the right in a t-shirt, Fr. Munis’ Bishop-cum-parish priest (Munis needs a chaperone), Allwyn D’Silva
Born on the 20th of January, Fr. Sunil hails from a family of four, which includes him and his three sisters. Originally from the parish of Our Lady of Bethlehem, Dongri, Uttan, Fr. Sunil completed his schooling from St. Joseph’s School and later graduated from Gonsalo Garcia College, Vasai. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Rural Development from the Mumbai University. He joined the Seminary at Goregaon in the year 2003 and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Bombay on 9th April, 2011.
Experience: After his ordination he was appointed at the parish of St. Francis Xavier, in the Mahad mission. During his tenure at the mission station, Fr. Sunil took a keen interest in the educational and health related welfare of the Adivasi boys at the boarding run by the parish. Along with this he also spearheaded the cultivation of the agricultural land, growing paddy and other crops, which not only sustained the boarding but was also a source of income for the mission station.
After serving the mission station at Mahad, Fr. Sunil was appointed to Our Lady of Health Church, Cavel where along with the parish portfolios, he was also appointed at Centre for Social Action which is the Diocesan office for social work activities.
In his stint at the Centre for Social Action, Fr. Sunil was entrusted with looking after the social work activities of the Gorai Manori-Bhayander belt with a prime focus on education, health care and the upliftment of women. He coordinated and brought these efforts to realisation through various programs and projects that were undertaken by his team. Before his appointment to St. John’s, Fr Sunil has served as assistant at the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Kalyan (W).
Among his many hobbies, Fr. Sunil enjoys singing, sports (especially football), reading and counselling. He has a strong desire to reach out to the poor and the marginalised of society and urges every parishioner to do the same by going beyond the boundaries of caste, gender, class, creed and religion.
Message: “Think positive so that the results will be positive.”
Transferred around:
http://www.archdioceseofbombay.org/news/diocesan/official-appointments-list-III:
Fr Sunil Munis: to be Assistant, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Kalyan 
wef June 1, 2015
http://www.archdioceseofbombay.org/news/diocesan/official-appointments-iii
St John the Baptist Church, Thane
http://stjohnthebaptistthane.com/contact-us/contact-us.php:
St. John the Baptist Church, Jambli Naka, Thane – 400601. Parish Tel. No. +91 – 22 – 25348671 sjbcthane@gmail.com
http://www.stjohnthebaptistthane.com/parish-council.html:
Bishop Allwyn D’Silva, Parish Priest, 9820068257
Fr Michael Pinto 9967157017
Fr Ernest Fernandes 9833443584
Fr Daniel Fernandes 9969079078
Fr Sunil Munis 9833829095
This parish web page gives evidence that Fr. Sunil Munis is still given access to young boys:
http://www.stjohnthebaptistthane.com/associations.html:
Fr Sunil Munis – Head, Altar Servers, Centre for Community Organization, SCC Steering Committee 9833829095
Priest coordinator for Dharavi Island under CSA (Centre for Social Action)
http://www.csamumbai.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CSA%20IMPACT%20-%20April%202015.pdf
The identity of the writer and date of the letter are withheld:
You know Michael, you are right. The protection that these guys get it unbelievable. In Maharashtra there was a homosexual priest who was after me to come sleep with him. He would up front insist to me to come sleep with him. Then he would try to touch me from under the table and all that. I would freeze!!! One day on the bike he put his hands in front and grabbed my crotch area. He was later made the director of an institute in Bombay! His name is Fr Sunil Munis.
The brothers in the seminary told me that he is a homosexual. The brothers from my own batch who are from his town told me that he is a homosexual and that’s exactly what he was up to there. I know even if I go to the Cardinal in Bombay, he will just brush it aside.
The identity of the writer and date of the letter are withheld:
This priest Sunil Munis was ordained in in 2011 and being my junior, I don’t know him personally.
He is on the staff of the CENTRE FOR SOCIAL ACTION an organisation that functions from Eucharistic Congress Building III, No 5 Convent Street, Mumbai 400001. Phone No 2202-1509/2985. Email: csamumbai@gmail.com.
Fr Sunil Munis is at the church of St John the Baptist church Thane.
Phone no 2534-8671/2543-5411 Email: stjohnthebaptistthane@gmail.com
Before I joined the priesthood, I used to say to my confessor, “Father, I know that God has called me to the priesthood, but I feel that I am not worthy.” Then one day, he literally shouted at me and said “Stop accusing yourself, go to the seminary and see what kinds of men are there.”
As a layperson, I looked up to the priesthood and to priests not expecting to indulge in any scandals, and so when I saw a priest misappropriating parish money, etc. I was shocked.
What I read in your mail about the Fr Joby rape case has utterly shocked and saddened me. I just don’t feel like going for lunch.
(Then the writer explains what he experienced and how a Bishop, John Rodrigues, came to be appointed as Rector of the St Pius the X Seminary in Goregaon, Mumbai, instead of a priest.)
This is a very brief account to show you Michael that the Cardinal is fully aware of what ever goes on in the Archdiocese …This abnormal sinful behaviour of some priests is a new challenge that he faces. Michael I feel that you in your own way can also help to see that wrongs, evils are changed to good … God Bless and may the Holy Spirit anoint you.
The identity of the writer and date of the letter are withheld:
I think there was some exposure concerning him when he was in the mission station at Mahad, Raigad. (Then the writer explains what he learned.)
After the incident he was placed in Bhayandar, Our Lady of Nazareth, and then after a year or so moved to Thane.
The identity of the writer and date of the letter are withheld:
Yes this is Sunil Munis in the photographs. Before I left for that posting, many of the brothers came to my room in the seminary and told me explicitly that he is a homosexual and to be careful. But I thought they were joking with me and I befriended Fr Sunil but it turned out that he indeed was a homosexual. I do not want to slap labels on him or anyone else, nor did he rape me (penetration), but he did everything to get me to that state… I’ve seen how nothing was done about it… rather, what they did was they sent him for a “retreat” and then brought him back into circulation. But yes, that is the fellow. Has anyone else complained about him?
Correspondence with Oswald Cardinal Gracias, President-CCBI, Archbishop of Bombay
From: michaelprabhu@vsnl.net
To: diocesebombay@gmail.com, abpossie@gmail.com, CCBI Secretariat ccbisecretariat@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2017 19:43:51 +0530
Subject: ACTIVE KNOWN AND REPORTED HOMOSEXUAL PRIEST FR SUNIL MUNIS CONTINUES TO BE GIVEN AUTHORITY, FREE REIN AND ACCESS TO YOUNG BOYS IN BOMBAY ARCHDIOCESE
To, His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias
President, Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI)
Archbishop of Bombay
CC: CCBI Secretariat
Dear Cardinal Oswald Gracias,
Fr Sunil Munis has been reported to you for attempted sodomy. I have received a few firsthand details of the complaint registered with you against him by a victim. His record of sexually molesting young men is common knowledge. However, instead of taking severe exemplary deterrent and disciplinary action against him, he has continued to be transferred around by you to different parishes and he therefore continues to pose a threat to seminarians, altar boys and youth in general.
Apparently the November 2015 arrest of Fr Lawrence Johnson of your archdiocese for the very same criminal offence has not been an opportunity for the archdiocese to learn any lesson nor has it generated any sense of justice in you all who should be protecting the vulnerable and punishing the guilty. You, your bishops and priests extending to everyone who is complicit in these reality-denials and cover-ups are guilty under both Canon Law and the Indian Penal Code. Eventually someone is going to have to “pay” for all of this. And it is the Catholic Church in India that will be disgraced before the entire nation and the world because of weak (that’s how some of your priests — who otherwise said you are a good man — described you to me; I also happen to have a relative who is a longtime priest in Bombay archdiocese) clerics like you.
You still have not responded to my letters to you of June 7 and June 8 regarding the Fr Joby Kachappilly VC rape case. Now, please do not trouble to respond. It is 15 weeks since we first took up the matter with the Vincentian Congregation and then the hierarchical Church authorities. Now the wheels have been set in motion on both the sodomy as well as the rape issues. God help us all.
Yours obediently,
Michael Prabhu
Catholic apologist
BCC: Team members
No response till time of publishing…
UPDATE JULY 7
From: diocesebombay@gmail.com To: michaelprabhu@vsnl.net
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2017 16:41:56 +0530
Date: From Oswald Cardinal Gracias
Dear Mr. Prabhu,
I have just seen your email of July 4, 2017 as I was away for the Western Regional Bishops’ Council Meeting and I hasten to reply immediately because your email has shocked me.
The policy of the Church in India and of the Archdiocese of Bombay is zero tolerance in these matters. I have not received any written or oral complaint of the nature you mention regarding the priest you refer to in your email. If you have a copy of what was supposedly sent to me, please send it to me urgently. If not, you owe an apology to the Archdiocese of Bombay and to the priest concerned.
Regarding the other case of the Vincentian: I was in Rome in connection with different matters including the funeral of Cardinal Ivan Dias and so did not see any further update from you. However, because of my concern, even though I have no jurisdiction because the person is a religious and belonging to the Syro Malabar Rite, I was willing to assist by contacting his Superiors.
In the past even though I have never met you I have often given attention to your emails because I felt you were sincere. Your recent email disappointed me.
With kind regards,
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Oswald Cardinal Gracias
Archbishop of Bombay & President, CCBI
From: michaelprabhu@vsnl.net
To: diocesebombay@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2017 17:39:57 +0530
Subject: Re: From Oswald Cardinal Gracias
Dear Cardinal Oswald,
You should always respond to a communicant with the copy of his/her original letter making it easy to relate things. Since you did not, I have copied it here for reference. If you read it, I did not say that I
made a complaint to you. One of the original victims, an individual who reported the sodomy attempt on him, and two priests had named Fr. Sunil Munis to me and given me details on reading my enquiries on the Fr. Joby Kachappilly VC rape issue. I have two letters from one of the survivors and I regret that I cannot reveal their contents to protect his identity and future. In fact, one of the two priests had long back reported to you/the Archdiocese on homosexual activity going on in the St Pius X Seminary in Mumbai. He had absolutely no reason to gain anything from writing those details to me, especially as he is a stable and secure senior priest who treasures his vocation. I stand by my accusation against Fr. Munis. I do not owe anyone an apology because I have not the slightest doubt in the integrity of my informants whereas I, from my firsthand past experience, have no — or very little — confidence in that of the Archdiocese of Bombay and its spokespersons. If it turns out that there is an investigation by the law of the land, then my informants can testify directly to the police who can decide on the matter. Meanwhile, you may take suitable action against Fr. Munis as per Church law to keep him away from young men in the parish/archdiocese for the sake of their souls. And yours.
It is I who should be shocked by your letter and not the other way around. After all, you are our shepherds and teachers. Do you mean to say that your “zero tolerance” for a sodomite priest does not apply to a rapist priest? You say “zero tolerance in these things”… you did not even want to say the homosexual word! Your Eminence, I am sorry to disappoint you once again with this letter of mine. We have waited long enough after contacting you and all the 500-plus Vincentians, it’s almost four months since we first took up the matter, and as I wrote, “Now the wheels have been set in motion”. I have already completed and released my report on the Fr. Sunil Munis issue. It will be in the public domain tomorrow.
Concerning the Fr. Joby case, not one of the nearly 550 bishops and Vincentian priests who I wrote to, including your good self, had a word of pity, concern or empathy for the rape victims, as someone observed when she wrote to me. Read the responses/letters, the few that I received, in the file given below, and you will agree with me on that. Fr. Joby, as you earlier too pointed out by bringing in the matter of Rite, anyway does not come under your “jurisdiction”.
RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE BY INDIAN PRIESTS-CHURCH FAILS TO PUNISH GUILTY 04
22/28 JUNE/2 JULY 2017 (CORRESPONDENCE RELATED TO RAPE COMMITTED BY FR. JOBY KACHAPPILLY VC)
I will desist from writing any more because I am only repeating what I wrote in my letters to you and to the Vincentian priests, over 500 of them, most of who are aware of the guilt of Fr. Joby. In like manner, I understand that many seminarians and priests are aware that Fr. Sunil Munis is a predator of young men and are forewarned by others to be wary of him. I will update my report 04 with your response of today and mine, at a later date. Thanking you, Yours obediently,
Michael Prabhu
BCC: Team members
From: diocesebombay@gmail.com To: michaelprabhu@vsnl.net
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2017 19:44:09 +0530
Date: From Oswald Cardinal Gracias
Dear Mr. Prabhu,
I have just received your email. I am truly sorry that you have made public a Report on the matter because, as I said:
1. the priest has not been reported to me for “attempted sodomy” as you have said in your earlier email;
2. further there is no complaint registered with my office by any victim, as stated by you;
3. although the matter is of a delicate nature, I enquired with a few priests here if this “is common knowledge” but the few I asked know nothing about this.
Hence, while I do not know the source of your information, it is certainly inaccurate. Hence, I am unhappy that you have released the Report on the public domain because it is unjust to the Archdiocese of Bombay, and unjust to the priest concerned if it is a false complaint. I am unable to investigate anything because not having received the complaint I do not know what to investigate.
I am sure you know enough moral theology to know the gravity of making accusations which are unfounded, specially of this nature. I believe you have done this in good faith, but if damage is done, restitution is necessary.
With kind regards,
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Oswald Cardinal Gracias
Archbishop of Bombay & President, CCBI
MY CLOSING COMMENTS:
Now why is it that I just don’t believe the Cardinal?
Why would four different individuals — who have never contacted one another — concur that Fr. Sunil Munis is a homosexual and was reported to the Church authorities (I’m sorry but I cannot furnish the evidence in my possession in order to protect the individuals concerned from the wrath of the authorities.)
Who does the reader believe, the four individuals (priests) or the Cardinal?
As for me, I am known for my thorough research and my integrity as much as for my solid Catholic Faith and my love of the Church.
Note that the Cardinal does not address a single one of the issues that I raised in my emails and in the cited report 04. He also betrays himself when he concentrates on the homosexual priest issue and not on the rape of several innocent young girls. After all, the rape issue is the headache of the Vincentian Congregation, while the case of the sodomite priest (and apparently there are more like him) lies squarely at his doorstep.
Either the Cardinal is a consummate liar or the archdiocesan administration has kept him in the dark about certain burning issues. Either way, the Indian Church is in deep trouble.
The Cardinal has virtually permitted, encouraged and participated in the institutionalization of New Age in the Bombay Church. The files listed further below will sustain my claim.
The Cardinal is also favourable to the homosexual/LGBTQ agenda as I have already recorded, see titles and links on page 2, and again on page 15. And read the 2013 UCAN story on page 15 in the same context.
THE SALESIANS, OSWALD CARDINAL GRACIAS AND NEW AGE PSYCHOLOGIST CARL ROGERS
MARCH 2012/APRIL 2013
CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS ENDORSES YOGA FOR CATHOLICS 25 FEBRUARY/9 APRIL 2013
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/CARDINAL_OSWALD_GRACIAS_ENDORSES_YOGA_FOR_CATHOLICS.doc
PAPAL CANDIDATE OSWALD CARDINAL GRACIAS ENDORSES YOGA
2
MARCH/9 APRIL 2013
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/PAPAL_CANDIDATE_OSWALD_CARDINAL_GRACIAS_ENDORSES_YOGA.doc
SHOULD OSWALD CARDINAL GRACIAS HAVE RESIGNED AS CARDINAL OBRIEN DID
14 MARCH 2013
HINDU RELIGIOUS MARK ON THE FOREHEAD 16-CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS WEARS
APRIL 2013
NEW COMMUNITY BIBLE 20-HALF-TRUTHS FROM CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS
28 JUNE 2013
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/NEW_COMMUNITY_BIBLE_20-HALF-TRUTHS_FROM_CARDINAL_OSWALD_GRACIAS.doc
NEW COMMUNITY BIBLE 27-CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS STILL IN DENIAL OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS ERRORS
MARCH 2015
CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS
IS ONE OF POPE FRANCIS’ LIBERAL-MINDED PRELATES
10 APRIL 2016
CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS INFORMS PRAKASH LASRADO THAT HE USES YOGA TO PRAY
2 JUNE 2016
Priests should be sensitive on issues of homosexuality: Cardinal Oswald Gracias
Some Catholics had written a complaint letter to Cardinal Oswald Gracias on the issue.
Mumbai, September 9, 2013
Cardinal Oswald Gracias has said he would advise priests to be more sensitive on issues relating to homosexuality during their sermons or in their public statements.
The prelate’s comments came a month after Pope Francis said that society should not be judgmental about homosexuality.
Cardinal Gracias, who is also the archbishop of Bombay, gave the statement in response to a letter from Queer Azaadi Mumbai (QAM), an LGBT group, about a sermon at St Thomas Church, Goregaon, where the priest allegedly described homosexuality as “a great sin” and opposed gay marriage.
Some Catholic members of the group had written a complaint letter to the archbishop last month and had discussed the issue on social media.
The sermon had taken place just a day before the widely-discussed statement by Pope Francis, in which he said: “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”
THE FRANCIS EFFECT & WHO AM I TO JUDGE-THE SPIRIT OF VATICAN COUNCIL II
Cardinal Gracias, in his letter dated August 31, said “Going by the data in the letter, some of what the priest said is alright and some part is inappropriate. The Church does not accept gay marriage because the Bible teaches us that God willed marriage to be between man and woman.”
On the other hand, to say that those with other sexual orientations are sinners is wrong. “I do think we must be sensitive in our homilies [sermons] and how we speak in public and I will so advise our priests,” he added.
He added that the Church loved everybody, including those with different sexual orientations.
Members of QAM said they were satisfied with the response. “The Archbishop’s response was very reassuring for the community. It gives me confidence as a member of the Church that I will not be discriminated against,” said a parishioner of the Goregaon Church and member of QAM who had attended the sermon.
LGBT activists lauded the archdiocese’s stand. “We are grateful to the church for categorically stating that they are not against homosexuality. The Archbishop of Mumbai has set a benchmark for everyone else,” said Harish Iyer, who recently figured among the 100 most influential LGBT people in the world.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
http://www.archdiocesedelhi.org/priests.aspx
Fr. Arnold David of Delhi Archdiocese is known to have fathered children. He subverted several Catholic families (one can be seen at https://indiankanoon.org/doc/101619295/). Why things reached this extent is because successive Archbishops of Delhi turned a blind eye to what he was openly doing from the late 70s at St. Jude’s, Sonepat, and the early 80s in Delhi. The 2012 court case referred to accuses him of changing the name of one lover’s daughter in the Alaknanda parish’s register of baptisms. Apart from being forgery, it is in “violation of the Church’s Pastoral Guidelines and Regulation for Life and Ministry of Diocesan Priests, 2001”.
Despite the above, now at the helm of the prestigious St Paul’s Church in Delhi Cantonment, he is the Dean of the Western Deanery of the Archdiocese! Under Archbishop Alan de Lastic he was even the Secretary and Executive Director of the Archdiocesan Commission for the Family!!
http://www.archdiocesedelhi.org/preists.aspx
Fr. Moben Michael formerly at Montfort Church in Delhi Archdiocese and presently at St. Andrews Church in Faridabad is also known to have court cases filed against him. He too is reportedly trailed by scandals.
As someone wrote to me, “His cases are most popular in Delhi and has been moved from place to place, now to Faridabad on the outskirts of Delhi. He has the reputation of molesting (not sure about rape) even helpless, vulnerable widows and maids! And yes, he tried to sexually assault my sister while she was still a minor at 16. She was still in school at that time. I say “tried” because she had gone to the priest’s residence to give him something on my parents’ instructions. And then he started touching her. I don’t know the details but I can ask her and tell you. She was shocked and didn’t know how to react. Suddenly, thank God, the doorbell rang! That’s how she narrowly escaped what could have been far worse!“
SOME MORE RELATED FILES
LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON THE PASTORAL CARE OF HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS CDF
OCTOBER 1, 1986
CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING PROPOSALS TO GIVE LEGAL RECOGNITION TO UNIONS BETWEEN HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS
CDF
JUNE 3, 2003
INSTRUCTION CONCERNING THE CRITERIA FOR THE DISCERNMENT OF VOCATIONS WITH REGARD TO PERSONS WITH HOMOSEXUAL TENDENCIES BENEDICT XVI NOVEMBER 4, 2005
MARRIAGE AND HOMOSEXUAL UNIONS DOCTRINAL NOTE
CARDINAL CAFFARRA
FEBRUARY 14, 2010
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/MARRIAGE_AND_HOMOSEXUAL_UNIONS_DOCTRINAL_NOTE.doc
ON HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE PEDOPHILIA ISSUE
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/ON_HOMOSEXUALITY_AND_THE_PEDOPHILIA_ISSUE.doc
ASHLEY TELLIS-HOMOSEXUAL LEADING GAY-RIGHTS ACTIVIST
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/ASHLEY_TELLIS-HOMOSEXUAL_LEADING_GAY-RIGHTS_ACTIVIST.doc
QUO VADIS PAPA FRANCISCO 03-HOMOSEXUALITY THE SEX ABUSE CRISIS AND THE GAY LOBBY
QUO VADIS PAPA FRANCISCO 53-POLICE BUST DRUG AND GAY-SEX ORGY IN VATICAN APARTMENT
AMORIS LAETITIA AND THE GAY MAFIA IN THE VATICAN 01
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/AMORIS_LAETITIA_AND_THE_GAY_MAFIA_IN_THE_VATICAN_01.doc
HOMOSEXUALITY INSIDE THE VATICAN
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/HOMOSEXUALITY_INSIDE_THE_VATICAN.doc
HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH-THE RITE OF SODOMY-RANDY ENGEL
RELUCTANCE TO COOPERATE IN EXPOSING RAPE AND HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE CHURCH
CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS INTERPRETS POPE FRANCIS PERSONAL REMARK ON HOMOSEXUALS AS CHURCH TEACHING
20 AUGUST 2015
CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS CHAMPIONS LGBT CAUSE AT THE SYNOD ON THE FAMILY 20/22/23 OCTOBER 2015
CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS CHAMPIONS LGBT CAUSE AT HOME
4 NOVEMBER 2015
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/CARDINAL_OSWALD_GRACIAS_CHAMPIONS_LGBT_CAUSE_AT_HOME.doc
DOMINIC DIXON CONVICTED IN USA DEPORTED FROM CANADA FOR SEXUAL MOLESTATION OF BOY
DOMINIC DIXON CONVICTED IN USA DEPORTED FROM CANADA FOR SEXUAL MOLESTATION OF BOY 02
CONVICTED PEDOPHILE DOMINIC DIXON TRIES TO SILENCE THIS MINISTRYS EXPOSES OF HIM http://ephesians-511.net/docs/CONVICTED_PEDOPHILE_DOMINIC_DIXON_TRIES_TO_SILENCE_THIS_MINISTRYS_EXPOSES_OF_HIM.doc
CONVICTED PEDOPHILE DOMINIC DIXON TRIES TO SILENCE THIS MINISTRYS EXPOSES OF HIM 02 http://ephesians-511.net/docs/CONVICTED_PEDOPHILE_DOMINIC_DIXON_TRIES_TO_SILENCE_THIS_MINISTRYS_EXPOSES_OF_HIM_02.doc
TESTIMONY OF A FORMER HOMOSEXUAL-01 RICHARD G. EVANS, REVERT [ASSEMBLIES OF GOD PASTOR]
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_HOMOSEXUAL-01.doc
TESTIMONY OF A FORMER HOMOSEXUAL-02 DAVID MORRISON
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_HOMOSEXUAL-02.doc
TESTIMONY OF A FORMER HOMOSEXUAL-03 ERIC HESS
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_HOMOSEXUAL-03.doc
TESTIMONY OF A FORMER HOMOSEXUAL-04 MICHAEL VORIS
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_HOMOSEXUAL-04.doc
TESTIMONY OF A FORMER HOMOSEXUAL-05 DEAN BAILEY
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_HOMOSEXUAL-05.doc
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