Mangaluru: A Catholic Church priest has been charged with assaulting a boy after he failed to answer questions regarding Bible during first communion catechism class in Our Lady of Fatima Church, under Vittal Police Station limits. The accused priest is absconding.The incident occurred on April 12 and a case was registered on April 18. According to parents of a -year-old boy, parish priest Andrew D’Costa got furious with the victim during first communion catechism as he failed to answer some of the Bible related questions. Later, he beat him up black and blue with a stick. After he narrated the incident to his parents, who hail from a poor economic background, they filed a case against the priest.Police said priest has been booked under Juvenile Justice Act and Indian Penal Code 324 in Vittal Police Station.Meanwhile, Rev Fr William Menezes, Public Relation Officer, Mangaluru Diocese told TOI that the accused priest has confessed that he has reprimanded the boy, butdenied manhandling the boy. Most Rev Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop of Mangaluru also asked the priest—who was at hospital for treatment to cooperate with police investigation and meet the boy’s family.