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Church in the WorldCourt quashes inquiry into world’s largest retreat centre in KeralaIndia Anto Akkara - 12 April 2008Supporters and associates of the Divine Retreat Centre in southern Kerala state, believed to be the largest retreat centre in the world, are jubilant after the quashing by the federal Supreme Court of a controversial case against the centre. "This is a holy place and it is a shame that police have been conducting such an inquiry against it at the orders of the [Kerala] court," P. Aravindakshan, a Hindu who attended a week-long retreat at the Catholic centre in mid-March, told The Tablet. Upholding the plea on behalf of the centre, run by Vincentian priests, the highest Indian court ruled that the inquiry ordered by Kerala High Court against the centre, on the basis of an anonymous letter by a former woman resident and allegations of 974 "unnatural" deaths, was illegal. The two-year high-level police inquiry led by a Special Investigation Team of 50 police officers was accordingly quashed. "We are happy this headache is over," Fr Mathew Thadathil, administrator of the centre, said. Fr Thadathil was made to under-go a DNA test to disprove a rape charge against him. |
 In this week’s issueMaking markets moral Iron and velvet Love in a Catholic climate Someone to talk to A good Lent takes planning South American surprise Can the Church support abuse victims on its own terms? Elena Curti Is the Church too slow in recognising that academies are the future for Catholic schools? Christopher Lamb Goodwin the scapegoat Elena Curti The pain of being a coeliac Catholic Sr M, guest contributor The Church's moral obligation to victims of clerical sexual abuse Speeches from this week's conference in Rome This week in Rome bishops and religious superiors met at the first Vatican-backed symposium devoted to forging a global response to the crisis of clerical sexual abuse that has disgraced ... Archbishop voices 'shame and sorrow' after priest's abuse trial Longley to visit parishes 'damaged' by Walsh Today, Tuesday 7 February, Bede Walsh, who served as a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, has been convicted by a jury, following a 10-day trial at Stoke-on-Trent ...
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