From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Jan 12: In perhaps the first incident of its kind in the history of the Archdiocese of Bangalore and probably even in Karnataka, the Vatican has suspended a priest, who was accused and tried in the court of "forcibly raping" an young college going girl in Tumakuru.
The priest, however, was acquitted by the court of the charge as all the witnesses including the girl, her parents, grandmother and others had turned hostile.
According to information independently confirmed by Daijiworld after contacting several authoritative sources in the Archdiocese, Congregation forthe Doctrine of the Faith, which is the highest body in the Roman Curia, has officially communicated to the Archbishop of Bangalore Dr Bernard Moras last week regarding its decision of suspending the exercise of "the priestly ministry in public" of Fr Simon Bartholomeo with immediate effect.
The Archbishop, when contacted by Daijiworld, declined to either confirm or deny the decision on suspension of the priest and merely said: "I am not at liberty to disclose any information on the issue. You have to speak to the person concerned (Fr Bartholomeo)."
However, it is reliably learnt that the Archbishop has divulged the contents of the communication from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to the members of the Archdiocesan College of Consultors.
The members of the College of Consultors of the Archdiocese of Bangalore are: The two Vicar Generals Msgr S Jayanathan, Msgr C Francis, Episcopal Vicar for Religious Fr Xavier E Manavath, CMF, Fr Mathew Koikara, cmi, Fr Edward David, Fr A S Anthony Swamy, Fr Joseph Menezes, Fr Mariappa Gregory, Fr Vincent Maria Gregory and Fr L Arulappa.
According to some of the members of the College of Consultors, who were contacted by Daijiworld, the order from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith pertaining to Fr Bartholomeo cannot be strictly termed as a "suspension." However, it specifically bars the person from "exercising priestly ministry in public" and as such he cannot function as a priest.
Vatican’s decision on virtually "suspending" the priest, Fr Bartholomeo, was communicated to the Archbishop of Bangalore by Vatican’s Apostolic Nuncio to India in Delhi, according to a member of the College of Consultors.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith had taken the decision to bar Fr Bartholomeo from "exercising the priestly ministry in public" followed an inquiry conducted by the Metropolitan Diocese of Bombay. "Any decision on revocation or withdrawal of the order will have to be taken only after the Metropolitan Diocese of Bombay submits its report to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome," said a member of the College of Consultors.
Inquiries by Daijiworld revealed that Vatican had asked the Archbishop of Bangalore to conduct the inquiry as complaints against Fr Bartholomeo had been directly forwarded by several persons and organisations. But the Archbishop had reportedly declined to get involved in the issue on account of the agitations by some of the Kannada priests against him. Consequently, Vatican entrusted the task of conducting the inquiry to the Metropolitan Diocese of Bombay.
Fr Bartholomeo was appointed as the Parish Priest of St Rita’s Church in Kunigal Town in Tumakuru in the year 2004. He had reportedly close and intimate relations with a young 19-year-old college going girl, who was also getting training in operating computers. As the girl was a commerce student, the priest reportedly offered part-time job of handling the church accounts. The friendship between the girl and priest turned intimate allegedly leading to sexual relations from 2005 onwards and girl reportedly got pregnant and was allegedly helped by the priest to undergo abortion or medical termination of pregnancy at a private nursing home in Bangalore in the year 2006.
The girl and her parents lodged a complaint with the Kunigal police in the year 2008 and the case was tried in the court of the Second Additional District and Sessions Judge of Tumakuru. The priest, however, was acquitted by the court as all the prosecution witnesses including the girl, her parents, teachers and others had turned "hostile."
Fr Bartholomeo had been transferred as the Parish Priest of Our Lady of Fathima Church at Jalahalli in Bangalore last year. The posting of Fr Bartholomeo as the Parish Priest of the Our Lady of Fathima Church from Tumakuru led to strong protest by the local people.
Incidentally, Fr Bartholomeo is one of the key leaders of the Kannada Catholic Priests Association, and according to the police sources is believed to be very close to Fr William Patrick, one of the two priests along with a lay accomplice arrested in the sensational case of the murder of Fr K J Thomas, the then Rector of the St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary in Bangalore on the small hours of March 31-April 1, 2013.
It is learnt that Vatican is seized of several complaints against many of the other priests, especially those involved in the fight against the Archdiocese on the language issue. The pro-Kannada priests as well as pro-Tamil priests and many other lay associations have also reportedly sent several complaints against the Archbishop and pro-Kannada priests.