The cardinal-archbishop of Bombay, Oswald Gracias, who is one of Pope Francis' closest advisors, has been confronted with pornographic pictures of nuns and teachers photographed by senior Indian priests.
Lay leaders from the Association of Concerned Catholics (AOCC), who obtained these pornographic pictures, confronted Gracias with the nude images on April 14 and threatened to release the photographs to the international media if the priests were not defrocked.
"Please be advised that all pictures of the nude nuns will be made viral," AOCC leaders wrote in a follow-up email on April 29 to Gracias and 91 recipients, including the cardinal-archbishop of Goa, Filipe Neri Ferrão, and other Indian bishops and provincials of religious orders.
On May 9, an AOCC official addressed another email to Cdl. Gracias, writing, "I have further evidence of Hindu girls being targeted and I have nude photos of them, which I can share with you. I will be forced to hand over the photos to the National Commission of Women for an inquiry."
Lay leaders are also threatening to share sexual videos, pictures and chats between priests and Hindu women to Hindu extremist groups like the Bajrang Dal.
Archbishop Gracias' secretary, Fr. Kelvin Santis, responded to Church Militant on May 11 and stated the cardinal had relayed the AOCC's complaint to the superior general of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales (MSFS), also known as the Fransalians.
Father Abraham Vettuvelil, the order's superior general in Rome, did not respond to Church Militant's inquiries regarding the complaint. He did, however, comment to AOCC officials that he would "definitely look into the matter and do the needful [thing]."
Nun Porn
Revealed in the AOCC's complaint are multiple folders containing nude images of several nuns and other laywomen that were allegedly discovered on the computer of Fr. Jacob Karamakuzhyil. He currently holds a top position as general councilor with the portfolio of education in the general curia of the MSFS.
A series of images shows what appears to be religious sisters in sexual situations and in relationships with priests. One purports to show a sister wearing nothing other than a crucifix around her neck.
Religious sources identified another as a member of the Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod accompanying a priest on a so-called honeymoon in the Northern Indian state of Kashmir. There are also videos of the two together and images of the nun with her fellow sisters.
In response to questions by Church Militant, Karamakuzhyil claimed "We are checking the angle of cybercrime which is very common in India. They morph stolen pictures and keep blackmailing people."
Whistleblowers insisted they would release the evidence only if an independent investigation into the accused priests was initiated by Cdl. Gracias and the MSFS.
Priests Targeting School Faculty and Students
A document summarizing the chaos in the order names Fr. Arun Baby John, former principal of an MSFS school in Aurangabad, who is allegedly "also actively involved in sexual activities with teachers and nuns." He has since been transferred to the order's school in Nagpur.
The document also claims that Fr. Anthony Amaladoss, principal of the St. Francis de Sales School in Delhi, is "actively involved in sexual activities with teachers, cooks, and even students, and also does money stealing." It contends that complaints against Amaladoss have been ignored because he has a "good relationship" with the MSFS religious superior of Nagpur.
Father Shijumon Mangalath from the Nagpur province is also named in the document as someone who was purportedly "actively involved in sexual activities with teachers and nuns." Church Militant has obtained sexually suggestive images and WhatsApp messages that appear to be between Mangalath and a Hindu female teacher identified as Ms. X.
In messages with Ms. X, the priest writes, "In our relationship I cherish the most is the time we spent in November to January. I will continue to cherish those days with you. I wish if we could be the same again."
Sources describe Mangalath as Karamakuzhyil's "pet" and claim he has been involved in multiple inappropriate relationships with women.
Priests Protest Provincial's Cover-Up
In May 2020, a group of 14 MSFS priests sent a letter of protest to the order's superior general, to oppose the appointment of Fr. Jayaseelan Selvaraj as provincial superior of the Pune province. The document contained 18 allegations against Selvaraj, including blackmail, the cover-up of sexual abuse by fellow priests and sexual harassment.
The letter also accused Selvaraj of "harassing women" and noted that "he has a very serious case against him," identifying someone called Mrs. Y as a female victim of clerical abuse.
Other informed sources maintain that Selvaraj instigated Mrs. Y and another named Ms. Z to make false accusations of sexual harassment against fellow priests.
The MSFS protest letter goes on to cite another case of sexual misconduct by Fr. Leo James, who was accused of having had a sexual relationship with a Hindu teacher, Mrs. K.
Students at St. Francis de Sales School in Kadgaon, Kolhapur, witnessed a video allegedly showing the priest and his lover having intercourse.
The video was spread through WhatsApp groups in the community.
Despite a copy of the video being provided to James' religious superior, Fr. Selvaraj, the priests' complaint maintains that "the provincial — being his friend and hailing from the same caste and region — sent him back home."
Priests Abusing Nuns, Minor and Major Seminarians
Sources have informed Church Militant about widespread accusations of sexual abuse of seminarians by Fr. A. Lourdusamy, who is accused of being an alcoholic and abusing seminarians at the MSFS minor seminaries in Goa and Salem.
Father Lourdusamy was later transferred to the order's major seminary in Pune, where he allegedly continued to sexually abuse seminarians until the seminarians protested and complained to the order's chapter where the MSFS letter was publicly read out.
Lourdusamy was transferred to the MSFS school in the state of Rajasthan and later sent to Australia for a year. He is currently the parish priest of an MSFS chapel in Pune.
Consensual Sex With Nuns
Two senior religious priests from Rome confirmed to Church Militant that consensual sexual liaisons between priests and nuns in India are common and even begin in many "coed" seminaries where seminarians and religious sisters study together.
Church authorities remain reluctant to investigate the systemic nature of nuns' suspicious deaths, even though at least 24 sisters have committed suicide or died in unexplained circumstances since 1987 in Indian convents — at the rate of almost one death per year.
Nine nuns have been found dead in convent wells or water tanks, while six nuns have been found hanging from ceiling fans in their rooms. One was found hanging from her window; another body in a well had slit wrists, and one was discovered on railway tracks.
Sister Jessy Kurian, a Supreme Court of India lawyer and one of the first to study suicide cases among nuns, wonders if Indian convents have become "death traps."