#MeToo: Meghalaya church to probe allegations against 2 priests

Shillong: Soon after allegations of sexual assualt were levelled against two priests of the dominant Catholic Church of Meghalaya by a 40-year-old woman, the church has assured that an internal probe will be launched into the matter. The Congregation of Christian Brothers, a religious catholic in the state, on Saturday reportedly stated, “Something has happened. We understand the hurt, the pain and the shame of the victim. We want to address it.”

The move comes after the woman, Mary Therese Kurkalang, on Friday, narrated her ordeal on Facebook. In the post, she alleged that two priests – Brother Francis Gale of the Christian Brothers and Brother Muscat of Don Bosco — started abusing her when she was just five years old and continued till she was 12. The post was met with great support from the public, which triggered a response from the religious organisation.

Talking about the church’s move, Patricia Mukhim, a senior journalist and an activist from Meghalaya, told EastMojo, “Every institution promises to take up an internal enquiry whenever they happen to face sexual harassment allegations against any of its employees, but such enquiries seldom lead to justice.”