BishopAccountability.org
	Paternity Test Clears Young Deacon Indian Catholic July 28, 2008 http://www.theindiancatholic.com/report.asp?nid=10921 CHENNAI, India (UCAN) -- A Catholic deacon in southern India has expressed relief after paternity tests exonerated him of making a schoolgirl pregnant. I am relieved after the tests have proved my innocence," Amalanathan told UCA News on July 22. But the 26-year-old seminarian of Dharmapuri diocese in Tamil Nadu state said the charges caused him "much" suffering. The diocese is based in Dharmapuri town, 2,250 kilometers south of New Delhi. A 16-year-old Catholic girl complained to the police on Jan. 10 that the seminarian molested her and made her pregnant. The girl, a student, lives in Savadiyur, a village in the diocese's territory. She was nine months pregnant when she made the complaint. Police soon arrested Amalanathan, who denied the charge during investigation and in court. The teenager gave birth to a boy on Jan. 21, and the investigation team ordered Amalanathan to undergo deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and virility tests to determine if he was the child's father. The tests results, announced in court on July 18, showed the deacon is not the child's biological father. However, the legal proceedings are not yet complete, so the court has not formally acquitted the defendant. Also expressing relief over the results, Henry Paulraj told UCA News the tests proved his brother's innocence, "but only we (family) know how much pain he endured during the last six months." Paulraj blamed some people in the diocese for the whole episode. He said his family was filing a case in the state High Court "asking for an enquiry and to book the culprits behind the accusations." When UCA News spoke with Amalanathan, he acknowledged he had conducted Bible classes in his accuser's parish and she was among the students. But he insisted he had no contact with her beyond this. "I never even interacted with the girl," he said. "No person should go through what I have gone through." Bishop Joseph Antony Irudayaraj of Dharmapuri told UCA News in June that his diocese was "supporting the deacon and we believe he is innocent." However, he said Amalanathan's priestly ordination had been suspended and a diocesan council would decide the "future of the deacon" after the court trial was over. Bishop Irudayaraj added that the incident has "tarnished" the diocese's reputation. Father Vincent Chinnadurai, spokesperson for the Tamil Nadu Bishops' Council, told UCA News on July 24 that mainstream media "sensationalized" the allegations, causing "considerable damage to the image of Catholic priesthood in the state." The media did not look for facts and showed lack of sensitivity to Christians, he alleged. Newspapers in the state were quick to publish the accusations along with photographs of Amalanathan and the girl, but "did not bother to publish the tests results that proved the deacon's innocence," Father Chinnadurai pointed out. The priest commended the seminarian's attitude and composure, saying he "went through the trial with dignity and courage."
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.