Priests should be the models of sanctity: Archbishop

With a string of Christian priests facing accusations of sexual misconduct in Kerala, Archbishop Soosa Pakiam today said clergymen should be the models of sanctity in life.

"Sanctity is one of the most vital component of the church. Priests should be the models of sanctity. We, the clergymen, have the responsibility to uphold and protect sanctity in life," he said at a function near here.

Pakiam, who is also president of the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council, said the recent incidents in the Catholic Church were a matter of shame for it.

A woman's husband had accused five Orthodox priests of using his wife's secret confession to "blackmail and sexually abuse" her.

The crime branch had slapped rape charges against four clergymen named by the alleged victim while the name of the fifth cleric was not included for want of substantial evidence.

Two priests had been arrested in connection with the case.

In another case, a nun had levelled rape charges against Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal.

The nun, in her complaint to the Kottayam district police chief, had accused Mulakkal of raping her and having unnatural sex multiple times at a small town near Kottayam between 2014 and 2016.