COIMBATORE: His suspension has been lifted by the Catholic church, and convicted child sex offender Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul is hoping to be in charge of a parish soon.
The man, accused of molesting two teenage girls in Crookston, Minnesota, the US, when he was an extern priest there, said that he had returned to India as the church he was in charge of, in the US, was only a temporary posting.
In June 2015, Jeyapaul was sentenced to a year in prison for sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl, though he did not have to spend time in prison as he had already been incarcerated while awaiting trial. He was soon deported back, after which the Vatican revoked his suspension.
He did not disclose details of the allegations or the trial, due to which he fled the country and returned to the Diocese of Ootacamund. Jeyapaul claims to be in Ooty, though the Catholic church has stated that he has been “away on leave”, with some officials indicating that he is in Karnataka.
Former Bishop of Crookston Victor Balke, in a letter to Vatican officials in December 2005, stated that “a preliminary probe suggested that it was probable that a canonical delict was committed”.
“For my part, I cannot in good conscience allow this matter to be passed over. In my mind that would be a shameful act of betrayal towards the women and girls in India to whom Fr Jeyapaul could at present pose a serious risk,” the letter said.
Despite the former bishop’s concern for women in the company of Jeyapaul, the Holy See has sought it fit to reinstate the priest.