Attempting to curb the rising cases of sexual assault by priests, the National Commission for Women (NCW), landed in trouble when it asked for the Centre to abolish the practice of confession.
Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma pitched to abolish confession as she was addressing the two cases of rape by the Jalandhar bishop and priests of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church in Kerala. She added that "if religious customs and practices came in the way of security and safety of women, NCW can definitely seek remedies."
However, her statements didn't go down well with the Cardinal in Kerala. Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis issued a statement shortly after questioning her authority to make such a statement. He said that such a recommendation would affect the freedom of the believer, and was hence unacceptable. He did, however, call for women' safety, saying: Crimes against them should be punished, whoever commits it, priest or a nun...We would like to see how the Government of India is responding to this proposal."
The NCW has asked the Punjab and Kerala police to take swift action against the accused. Apart from the state government, the organisation said that it is also planning to contact the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and push for a CBI probe.
The comments come after four priests of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church were accused of repeatedly raping a woman for over a decade. Three of the accused have been caught and are under police custody after their bail plea was rejected by the Kerala High Court.
The other case is related to the Bishop of Jalandhar, Franco Mulakkal, who is accused of raping a nun for over two years at her convent in Kerala. Once the allegations came to light, several other nuns have also accused the Bishop of rape.
