MUMBAI, India – Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of Tellicherry has ordered the Removal of Father Paul Thattuparambil from his office and issued an order prohibiting from priestly ministry.

Last week the priest was arrested for allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy.

The accusation says Thattuparambil took the boy to his home and sexually abused him between May 15 and August 13, 2024.

“Taking into consideration the seriousness and scandalous nature of the allegation of child abuse that is taking rounds among the public against Rev. Paul Thattuparambil, who is at present Vicar of St. Pauls’ Church Athirumavu belonging to the Archdiocese of Tellicherry and his subsequent police enquiry and after having made due consultations, including legal, in this regard,I, Archbishop of Tellicherry in my capacity of Archbishop of the said Archdiocese, hereby remove Rev. Fr. Paul Thattuparambil from his office of the Vicar of the above mentioned parish with immediate effect,” the archbishop said in a June 8 statement.

“In addition, he is suspended from exercising his priestly ministry, including the celebration of the Holy Sacraments and preaching of the Word of God in public, either inside or outside the Archdiocese of Tellicherry,” the statement continued.

“This suspension and prohibition will remain in force until the accused is undergone the prescribed legal procedures in this regard and declared innocent,” the archbishop added.

Since the registration of the accusation, Thattuparambil has gone into hiding, according to manorama.com, a news organization in India.

Police sources told the news agency efforts are being made to trace him, even as reports suggest the accused is preparing to apply for bail.

Meanwhile, a voice message from a parish official is circulating in WhatsApp groups, claiming that Thattuparambil is being framed.

The incident is in the Indian state of Kerala, which has a large Christian population, numbering over 18 percent. Priests from the state serve across the country, and even commonly found in other nations.