A 62-year-old nun who is allegedly framed in “a forced conversion case and death of a schoolgirl” in south India got bail from the local court on February 7.
P. Mathusuthanan, principal sessions judge of Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu granted the bail after 18 days of the nun’s arrest in connection with the incident.
“We are very happy to inform you of the good news that Sister Sahaya Mary, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, was granted bail, and Sister Prisca Rachael was granted anticipatory bail,” said Father Singarayar, a Jesuit priest of Madurai province.
The priest thanked all for the prayers and support. “Let us thank and praise God for His abundant blessings. Thanks a million for your prayers, support, and solidarity. Let us continue to work together for the nuns to come out of the case successfully very soon,” the priest added.
Sister Sahaya Mary, on January 20, was arrested related to the suicide of a schoolgirl in Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, pro-Hindu radical groups are using suicide to target Christians in the southern Indian state.
The nun was a warden where a 17-year-old teenager stayed in the Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School in Michaelpatti in Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu.
The girl committed suicide and died on January 20. A case was registered at Thirukattuppalli police station.
The Pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members tried to project the case into forced conversion to Christianity as the girl belonged to the Hindu religion.
Several political leaders and human rights movements in Tamil Nadu have refuted the accusation by Annamalai, BJP president of Tamil Nadu state.
The nuns have been educating the poor and marginalized girls for more than 160 years in the rural villages, and they do not convert anyone, said Sister Rosary, the Provincial of Pondicherry Blue sisters of St. Joseph’s province where Sister Sagaya Mary is a member.
In solidarity with the nuns, the human rights activists staged a protest in Trichy on January 28. Hundreds of priests and nuns and people of other faiths participated in it.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
