RSS magazine now targets church, priests

RSS-linked magazine ‘Panchanya’, in its latest edition, has targetted the Christian church and priests over the widespread allegations of sexual exploitation.

The magazine, that would hit the stands on October 17, has, in the cover story, dwelt on the complaints of sexual exploitation of children and nuns across the world, and demanded an investigation into those allegations in India also.

Citing the instance of France, the magazine said over 3 lakh children were exploited between 1950-2020, and around 3,000 priests were named as accused.

Panchjanya mentioned that an independent enquiry committee set up in 2018 came across those details during its probe.

It also termed Pope Francis' apology in 2019 over these complaints and incidents a "formality under pressure", noting that despite it, episodes of similar nature have not seen any downward trend. It cited complaints and incidents of sexual exploitation reported from across India, underlining that the people have been seeking probe against the church and priests.

Claiming that such incidents are on the rise in India too, it referred to several incidents in Jharkhand and Kerala, besides the rape of a woman in Missionary College, Chennai, and of a nun from Kerala.