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An
Indian priest, Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul, 61 was convicted of sexually
assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the United States more than 10 years ago. He actually assaulted two 14-year-old girls
but got punished for only one crime in a plea bargain. After his deposition he fled the United
States, but was arrested in India by Interpol in 2012 and extradited to the
United States. Jeyapaul was sentenced
for a year in the U.S. and suspended from his clergy job. He went back to India and unbelievably his suspension
was lifted by his bishop who was told to do so by authorities at the Vatican, according
to CBS News.
The
Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Pope’s group responsible
for spreading and defending #Catholicdoctrine, approved the reinstatement of
Jeyapaul. They would not comment when
contacted by CBS News.
A
U.S. Attorney, Jeff Anderson, who represented the priest's victims, criticized
church authorities for lifting Jeyapaul's suspension and urged the Vatican to
be held accountable for what happened. He is exploring further legal action
over the decision to lift the suspension.
David
Clohessy of the victims’ group Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
(#SNAP) says Jeyapaul should have been banned from ministry permanently.
"I
think this convicted predator is being put back on the job for the same reason
that bishops continue to conceal child sex crimes all across the globe,"
Clohessy said, "simply because they can."
So
Jeyapaul is running around in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state. Do his neighbors and their children know who
and what he is? Are they safe? Ask Pope Francis.
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