RANCHI: Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) secretary general Rev. Theodore Mascarenhas has accused “invisible forces” of targeting the Missionaries of Charity (MoC).
“We have no conflict with the BJP as such. We have problem only with those forces which are doing such things," Rev. Mascarenhas said on Thursday, adding that the church had urged the Centre to talk with the Jharkhand government on the issue.
While condemning the nun who was arrested for child trafficking, Rev. Mascarenhas asserted that every child is holy for the faithful and the MoC congregation.
He said a social audit of each and every house of the congregation will be done to ensure that such incident never happens again.
"The allegations made on the MoC Congregation are false, and there is no involvement of any sister in this disgusting act… We feel that some invisible forces are behind them (allegations) for removing them (nuns)," he said, adding that whatever Nirmal Hriday staffer Anima Indwar did was a serious matter that must be condemned.
Rev. Mascarenhas claimed Nirmal Hriday in-charge Sister Koshleniea was made to sign forcefully on the written statement before the police in the case.
The Child Welfare Committee and the police were raiding the houses of MoC sisters as if they were criminals, he said. "It is nothing but an attempt to malign the image of MoC against which we can also file defamation suit."
He said the clergy might approach the court on the issues such as the arrest of a Father in the Kochang rape case at Khunti. “Why only the Father was arrested? Why was Sanjay Sharma, who runs the NGO, was spared?”
We are open for probe by any agency because our records are straight, he added.
Raising concern over the status of tribal population in Jharkhand, he demanded 'Sarna' Code for them saying they were not given what they were entitled.