Stirred by the #MeToo storm, Meghalaya church institutions are on a damage control mode.
After media reports (including Northeast Now) created a storm in the hill state on Saturday afternoon, the Congregation of Christian Brothers, a religious catholic in the State, went berserk and later statedthat it would launch an internal probe into the allegation of sexual abuse.
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Also read: #MeToo storm lashes Meghalaya churches; 40-year-old pulls up two priests
Continuing with the social media campaign of #MeToo that is taking the entire country by storm, a woman in Meghalaya has accused two priests of a Catholic Church in alleging sexual abuse by them over decades.
In a sensational Facebook post, the 40-year-old woman, a victim of sexual abuse in the hands of Catholic priests in Meghalaya had admitted to have attempted suicide thrice at different stages of her life.
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The two priests accused in her Facebook post as reported by agencies are Brother Francis Gale of the Christian Brothers and Brother Muscat of Don Bosco have allegedly abused her sexually since the age of five!
Pushed to the backfoot, a senior Borther of the congregation of Christian Brothers told media persons in Shillong that ‘it will address the allegation with due honour to the victim’.
Expressing ‘shock and grief’ at the incident, the senior Brother of the congregation of Christian Brothers, according to a report in The Shillong Times, said the Society Protection Officer of the Christian Brothers for Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults in New Delhi will be visiting Shillong shortly and will gather ‘all facts’ related to the incident.
The report further stated quoting the Brother that he had admitted that the Congregation was informed of the incident a few years back and an internal inquiry was conducted.
In the earlier report by Northeast Now carried on Saturday, it was mentioned that at least 12 priests have been arrested from different churches in Kerala for allegedly sexually abusing and raping minors and women during the last two years.
However, all these cases were allegedly wrapped up by the church institutions by conducting internal inquiry.
Now, eyebrows are being raised whether this allegation involving two Brothers of the Catholic Church institutions of Meghalaya will meet the same fate as this Brother has categorically stated about internal inquiry.
Will the law of the land prevail above? It remains to be seen.