| ashu |
Posted
on 20-Dec-01 03:40 AM
To some people the imagined picture of a Catholic priest molesting young Nepalis is too vivid and too strong to let go of.
Social scientist Donald Messerschmidt has published an exhaustive biography “Moran of Kathmandu” , and Don seems to have found no
evidence that speak ill of Fr. Moran.
What follows is an anoymous posting from sebsonline.org
I do not know who wrote it, but this -- to me -- appears to be a
reasonably balanced perspective. Feel free to take this with a grain
of salt.
Fr. Moran passed away in April, 1992 -- after 40-plus years of service in
Nepal. May his soul rest in peace.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
*************
Author: Godavarian Post date: 12/20/2001 2:04:48 AM EST
This discussion was posted on the GBNC webpage a few weeks ago. From a credibility standpoint anyone who wishes to go against someone with a widely personified public figure like Fr. Moran is bound to receive some tough challenges along the way. So even if the person who made the above allegations was true to his heart, he would naturally have a hard time convincing other people. And with the tendency of Nepali people to bow down to the white skin, this becomes quite a daunting task.
I attended Godavari School for six years and got shifted to the Jawalakhel dayschool sometime in the late 80s. Fr. Moran was revered by the parents and teachers alike. He was afterall the founding principle of three Jesuit schools in Nepal: St. Xavier's Schools (Godavari and Jawalakhel) and St. Mary's School. He had made numerous contributions towards the social and educational upliftment of Nepal. He had a high regard within the Royal family and the ruling class in Nepal. He is said to have had special ties with King Mahendra, which is demonstrated by the fact that the land on which the three schools stand was donated to the Jesuit Society by King Mahendra himself. Basically, Fr. Moran was the Mother Teresa of Nepal.
I knew Fr. Moran because he used to teach computer lessons when we were in Grade Six. He used to take care of us when we were ill. He had a kind side to him, a quality uncommon in most Jesuit Principles of STXJ. He was sometimes a bit too lenient, and this is where I found those inconsistencies. Certain students were receiving better treatment than others. You could call it favoritism-one that severely dampens the spirits of less-privileged students. One that clouds the mind from good-reasoning, and errs your judgement towards making unscrupulous generalizations.
Although I can recall many instances where my fellow classmates were benefactors of such favoritisms, I cannot recall sexual abuse on his part. Yes, he used to openly take his favorite students on his lap and let them use the computer. He used to give them special treats of Bourbon biscuits and candies when they were ill (or pretended to be ill) and he would allow them access to his private study during free time (weekends and after classes). Hell, even his assistant at the clinic was a favorite student of his!
One thing I couldn't understand was how much of physical affection he exhibitted towards the students. Maybe this was due to our obvious cultural differences. He demonstated his fondness towards students by caressing, kissing, hugging and tickling them-much in the same way your grandfathers do. In one or two occassions this might have gone slightly out of hand-and I have witnessed those instances-but nothing outrageous as the person in the GBNC forum has described. As far as those situations go, it could have been either sexual desires, or just playful mood that could have prompted him to be a bit more physical than other teachers at Godvari School. Judging from other aspects of his character, I would have to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he was just trying to be funny with the kids...
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