Priest accused of raping woman in US reinstated in Tamil Nadu church

The case came to light when the complainant, an American woman named Megan Peterson, who was allegedly raped by Father Jeyapaul when she was just 14, sued the Indian Church and claimed damages.

An Indian priest, who pleaded guilty last year of molesting a minor in the United States, has been rehabilitated by the Vatican in a church in Tamil Nadu.

The case came to light when the complainant, an American woman named Megan Peterson, who was allegedly raped by Father Jeyapaul when she was just 14, sued the Indian Church and claimed damages.

Megan Peterson, in her complaint, said she feels “abused, degraded and re-victimized all over again.”

“It’s a well known fact that perpetrators or sexual molesters generally don’t stop at one victim. Infact there are multiple incidents involving him during his short stay in Minnesota. So, without a doubt children are at risk of being wounded by Father Joseph Jeyapaul,” Peterson told India Today.

“Father Jeyapaul was a very manipulative, violent person. He used threat against me, my life to get me to cooperate with him,” she added.

The ‘molester priest was rehabilitated by Tamil Nadu Church Diocese in February 2016. ‘

Peterson’s counsel Jeff Andersen, while talking to India Today, described Jeyapaul as a ‘predator priest.’

” Jeyapaul had been convicted in the United States of having sexually abused a child…raped another child. And after having worked as a priest in Minnesota, US, and raped two children, he returned to India. We alerted the Vatican that this was a serious problem and we sued the Bishop in Ootacamund,” Andersen said.

Source : India Today