RC priest “goes missing”

The police have started looking for a Roman Catholic priest, who went missing after being assaulted at a recent meeting of priests.

Sources in the Tuticorin Roman Catholic Diocese Bishop House said a section of the priests recently received anonymous letters with fictitious contents about a few priests, and an internal inquiry was under way to identify the person behind it. The letters, written in abusive language, allegedly deepened the caste divide among the priests.

Against this backdrop, a two-day meeting of the priests was organised at the Catechetical Centre on St. Jude’s Church premises near Third Mile immediately after Easter.

One of the participants, Rev. Fr. Vasanthan, parish priest from Kudankulam, in his prayers, quoted some of the contents of the letters. As it triggered a heated argument among the priests during the lunch, Rev. Fr. Vasanthan was allegedly assaulted.

As Rev. Fr. Vasanthan “went missing,” after sending letters to the priests about the incident, his relatives met Superintendent of Police M. Durai on Wednesday and submitted a complaint.

The SP has referred the complaint to Chakravarthi, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Tuticorin Town.