By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – A Christian father and his family are hiding in Pakistan after he accused a Catholic priest of raping his teenage daughter and threatening to publish video footage of the abuse.
Zulfaqar Masih, a Catholic laborer, filed a police complaint against Naveed Thomas, a Faisalabad area priest who vehemently denied the rape charges, Worthy News learned Friday.
Thomas was a parish priest in Masih’s village Talundi, part of Faisalabad, a major city in central Pakistan’s Punjab province, confirmed family representatives.
Masih’s June 22 police complaint accuses the priest of repeatedly raping his 19-year-old daughter and arranging for an abortion when she became pregnant.
When the family confronted him, Thomas threatened to release the victim’s videos and kill her brother, according to the complaint seen by Worthy News.
The Faisalabad diocese suspended the priest in February after the family complained to the bishop about the apparent rape and threats before they went to the police, Catholic sources said.
MOBILE PHONE
In published remarks, police investigation officer Naila Zafar confirmed that Thomas had secured “pre-arrest bail” till June 29. There are “many contradictions” in the case, she said.
Police sent Thomas’ mobile phone for forensic examination, given his alleged threats to the victim and her family, the officer said.
However, Farrukh H. Saif, the co-founder and director of the Emergency Committee to Save the Persecuted and Enslaved (ECSPE), told Worthy News that he “is shocked” by the police reaction.
“The police investigator called [the woman] and her family to the station, where the rapist, Naveed Thomas, was also present. It is absurd that the police allowed the accused to sit and listen to her statement.”
With Thomas awaiting his arrest in freedom, Saif and his ECSPE team helped the family to escape their village of impoverished Christians after they received death threats. “They are now in a shelter we provide,” he added.
“We have been getting threats since the bishop initiated the inquiry against Thomas. We want justice,” Masih added in separate remarks.
ISLAMIC NATION
Worthy News knows the name of the reportedly abused woman but withheld these details, citing concerns about her safety and future in the strict Islamic nation. In general, Worthy News doesn’t name (alleged) victims of sexual abuse unless they choose to come forward publicly.
Saif recalled that her troubles began on December 13, 2023, when Naveed and a church elder went to the family‘s house and took the woman to the St. Pius X parish in Chak Jhumra village.
The priest had offered to “arrange” her computer science education in the city, “where she would have better opportunities. The priest suggested that she stay with nuns of his St. Pius X parish, although the school was only 20 minutes from her house.”
However, after he enrolled her in the education academy, he took her to a room in the parish premises and raped her, according to Saif and the family. “He threatened to kill her if she told anyone and recorded videos of the assault, threatening to release them online if she spoke out,” recalled Saif on behalf of the family.
“This abuse continued for a month and a half until she became pregnant. Father Naveed then arranged for an abortion with the assistance of a nurse.”
However, “It is deeply troubling that a priest, who is expected to adhere to Catholic teachings, would disregard the Church’s stance on abortion. According to Catholic doctrine, human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. Yet, this man not only dishonored the sanctity of the priesthood but also committed both sin and crime,” Saif added.
VICTIM ESCAPES
The victim eventually escaped from the catechist’s home after months of alleged abuse when the priest was away attending a marriage, Worthy News learned.
Faisalabad Vicar General Abid Tanveer said that in February, Thomas was asked to stay home to pray and reflect during the Lent season. Tanveer told the media that Thomas “has the same history” wherever he went.
Thomas denied all allegations in a video message. “I challenge all priests and faithful with whom I have worked to give witness before any forum that I can be an offender of raping at gunpoint… I will present myself and remove this holy vestment in front of the altar at the cathedral and return home. I have no right of holy service if they think so,” he said.
Said countered there was overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He said the case underscored that the “Catholic Church must address these issues, where poor [minority] Christians, already deprived and discriminated against by the [Islamic] system, are often exploited by priests in Pakistan and elsewhere,” he stressed.
“In countries like Pakistan, where Christians often live in poverty and lack education, respect for priests is paramount. This family, too, respected their church priest, who frequently visited their home.”
Unlike smaller evangelical congregations and independent churches in rural areas, larger denominations such as the Catholic Church have maintained close relations with Islamic authorities, according to a Worthy News assessment.
Christians comprise less than 3.5 percent of Pakistan’s mainly Muslim population of 252 million people, with many devoted believers fleeing persecution linked to their faith in Christ, Worthy News documented.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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