Brazil: Indian-born parish priest convicted of sexually abusing a parishioner during a spiritual counseling session

Proceedings

1. Date in cited record · trial conviction, prosecution appealing for a longer sentence

   Brazil — comarca of Paranaguá, Paraná (court not further specified in sources reviewed). Fr. Binu Joseph Chollackal, an Indian-born priest and former pastor of the parish, was convicted of importunação sexual (sexual harassment/imposition) against a 20-year-old parishioner who had come to the church on 11 February 2022 with her parents seeking spiritual help for depression. He was sentenced to 2 years and 11 months in semi-open regime, plus R$1,500 in damages. The sentencing court found he 'took advantage of his position of trust and religious authority to commit the abuse.' The case became public in October 2025 and additional complainants came forward to the Ministério Público do Paraná (MPPR) afterward. The MPPR has appealed for a harsher sentence; the defense contests the conviction.

Documented coercion mechanisms

• position of pastoral trust and religious authority used during a one-on-one spiritual counseling session
• instructing those present to close their eyes during a prayer, using the moment to touch the victim