Sr. Concilia remained in prison for 15 months. She had been arrested after the alleged sale of minors in the orphanage she managed. Msgr. Mascarenhas: "May God bless those who have been on the side of the sisters of Mother Teresa in these months with prayers and encouragement".
Ranchi (AsiaNews) - "With great joy I inform you that Sr. Concilia, a member of the Missionaries of Charity (the Sisters of Mother Teresa) was released on bail by the High Court of Jharkhand ". The news, awaited with hope by the Catholic community of India, was made public today by Msgr. Theodore Mascarenhas, auxiliary bishop of Ranchi and former secretary of the Indian Bishops' Conference (CBCI).
The release of the religious puts an end to a story that shocked the congregation and pained the Christians of India. In July 2018 an orphanage of the sisters of Mother Teresa of Ranchi was implicated in a case of alleged sale of minors by two employees. Sr. Concilia, who ran the structure, was also jailed despite the police never formally charging her.
The Ranchi case led to a crackdown on the work of Christian organizations. The structures of the Missionaries of Charity underwnet the scrutiny of the state authorities. Another inquiry involved all Christian associations in Jharkhand, an initiative that led the bishops to denounce planned discrimination.
Bishop Mascarenhas thanks "the Lord for his kindness to us. We appreciate and are grateful to the lawyers and to all those who have fought in this case in the last 15 months ”. "We are proud - he says in conclusion - for how our Sisters of Mother Teresa have faced this process with courage, patience and prayerful fortitude. May God bless those who have been standing by the sisters of Mother Teresa in these months with prayers and encouragement ".