A Catholic diocese in southern India has removed a priest from pastoral ministry after he reportedly attacked an elderly couple following a quarrel, during a pastoral visit.
Mangalore diocese in Karnataka state said it removed Father Nelson Olivera, parish priest of the Christ the King Church, from the pastoral ministry on March 2.
“We are sincerely sorry for what has happened,” said the March 2 statement, signed by Father Ronald Castelino, diocesan public relations officer.
The incident caught on camera shows the priest physically assaulting Gregory Monteiro and Philomena Monteiro while he was there to bless the couple’s house on Feb. 29.
While visiting the house the priest picked up an argument with the couple, who asked him not to visit them again.
The video clip went viral on social media. It also shows the couple trying to fight back against the priest in Periyalthadka village in Bantwal district.
The couple, recuperating in a hospital, has filed a case against the priest.
The diocese will cooperate with the police investigation of the case, the diocesan statement said.
“We will conduct an internal probe,” it added.
Mangaluru, formerly Mangalore, based on the coastal Karnataka region is considered a Catholic stronghold, with Christian influence since the 16th century reflected in its socio-cultural aspects.
The diocese has produced hundreds of missionaries for the Church and has provided 41 bishops and 10 archbishops.
Currently, the Indian dioceses have 29 bishops and three archbishops, who hail from Mangalore.
Christianity arrived in the coastal region with Portuguese missionaries in 1521. Christians make up 1.87 percent of Karnataka’s population of 68.4 million.
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