The case of the Catholic priest in Kerala, Father Robin Vadakkumchery – vicar of the St Sebastian’s Church at Kottiyoor, who, according to Kerala Police, repeatedly raped a 16-year-old girl – brings to the fore pressing questions on school education in India. The victim was, after all, a student in a school where a habitual offender was posted by the Catholic church as a manager.

Those of us not familiar with the Catholic church and its media sympathisers would assume that the church would be scandalised by this crime and would act against the perpetrator and his associates. An exhaustive report in The News Minute by Haritha John and Megha Varier, however, shows otherwise. The various arms of the church, in fact, reportedly acted in concert to hide the crime of the man and his associates.

“On February 7, the girl was taken to Christu Raj hospital, run by a Christian management. Police say that Fr Robin "donated" money to the hospital as a reward for not reporting the incident to the police. The hospital administrator then agreed to admit the girl, while gynaecologist Dr Tessy and Nellayani Thankamma assist in the delivery.

“After the girl gave birth, Dr Hyderali, a pediatrician at the hospital allowed the baby to be discharged. The minor girl continued to get medical assistance for two days before she was allowed to return home.

“Meanwhile, Nellayali Thankamma, Dr Liz Maria and Sr. Anita from Christu Dasi convent in Wayanad took the baby from the hospital to an orphanage in Wayanad. Sr. Anita drove a Maruti Eeco car to the orphanage.”

Fr Robin didn't stop at that. When the police registered a case on the crime, he coerced the victim’s father (a poor farm labourer) to falsely admit to having raped his own daughter and fathered another kid in the process. The perversity of Father Robin in putting a family through such mental torture is unimaginable.

This wasn’t all. The media arm of the church even tried to blame the young girl for leading the Father astray! Here is what a Catholic newspaper, Sunday Shalom, had to say in an editorial,