A court freed Sister Mary Elisha of the Missionaries of Charity on Dec. 15, who was arrested on the allegation of child trafficking, after the attorney general said an investigation had proved she is innocent and her service is genuine.
“I forgive all who are responsible for putting me in jail,” said Sr. Mary Elisha after she left the court.
Officials of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), who raided the Prem Nivasa orphanage for young unwed mothers and babies run by the Sisters on November 23 and arrested its superior nun Sister Elisha two days later, told the court they had not found any illegal activities committed by the nuns.
The NCPA’s sub inspector Sheela said investigations have been conducted by three separate state security institutions, all proving the home is a legally run institution.
A magistrate ordered the release of the nun and the return of all documents including her passport.
Police acting for the NCPA arrested the nun and imprisoned her. She was later released on bail but prevented from visiting the home.
“The NCPA should have taken due regard of the confidentiality of the institution and in this particular instance it had been damaged,” said Father Noel Dias, senior attorney and Vice Judicial Vicar of the archdiocese of Colombo.
“The arrest is illegal and the undue publicity given has caused immense hardship to the nuns concerned and also to the entire Catholic Church,” said Neville Abeyratne, a Catholic attorney who defended the nun.
“The outcome of this case has proved that the sisters are doing a humanitarian service and they are not interested in taking any action against NCPA due to their mission to serve the needy,” said Abeyratne.
A large number of priests, nuns and civil rights activists gathered to witness the proceedings and organized a thanksgiving prayer service after she was set free.
Fr. Rohan Silva, the Provincial of the Oblate of Mary Immaculate (OMI) Congregation in Sri Lanka who was in court in support of the nun said: “The world has come to know what the sisters have been doing specially for the poor, the downtrodden, the rejected and the unloved in the country.”
A government media spokesman said that the minister of child development has already apologized for any possible mistakes in the handling of the case.
News and photo Courtesy
ucanews
“I forgive all who are responsible for putting me in jail,” said Sr. Mary Elisha after she left the court.
Officials of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), who raided the Prem Nivasa orphanage for young unwed mothers and babies run by the Sisters on November 23 and arrested its superior nun Sister Elisha two days later, told the court they had not found any illegal activities committed by the nuns.
The NCPA’s sub inspector Sheela said investigations have been conducted by three separate state security institutions, all proving the home is a legally run institution.
A magistrate ordered the release of the nun and the return of all documents including her passport.
Police acting for the NCPA arrested the nun and imprisoned her. She was later released on bail but prevented from visiting the home.
“The NCPA should have taken due regard of the confidentiality of the institution and in this particular instance it had been damaged,” said Father Noel Dias, senior attorney and Vice Judicial Vicar of the archdiocese of Colombo.
“The arrest is illegal and the undue publicity given has caused immense hardship to the nuns concerned and also to the entire Catholic Church,” said Neville Abeyratne, a Catholic attorney who defended the nun.
“The outcome of this case has proved that the sisters are doing a humanitarian service and they are not interested in taking any action against NCPA due to their mission to serve the needy,” said Abeyratne.
A large number of priests, nuns and civil rights activists gathered to witness the proceedings and organized a thanksgiving prayer service after she was set free.
Fr. Rohan Silva, the Provincial of the Oblate of Mary Immaculate (OMI) Congregation in Sri Lanka who was in court in support of the nun said: “The world has come to know what the sisters have been doing specially for the poor, the downtrodden, the rejected and the unloved in the country.”
A government media spokesman said that the minister of child development has already apologized for any possible mistakes in the handling of the case.
News and photo Courtesy
ucanews
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