Kottayam: A Catholic vicar Thomas Thaaninilkum Thadathil was stripped of all his positions in the church after a foreign woman accused him of raping her.

Vicar of St Mathews Church, Perumthuruthu, at Kallara near here, Thomas befriended the woman from Bangladesh through social media and invited her to Kerala. Kaduthuruthy police registered a case against the vicar based on the complaint of the woman who was taken to hospital after she developed uneasiness, police said.

Later, she was shifted a women’s hostel. After the incident, the dismissed priest has gone missing. He is from Changanassery in Kottayam.

The incident comes at a time when the Catholic church is in the midst of financial irregularities allegedly carried out by Syro Malabar head Archbishop Cardinal Mar George Alancherry.

There are several cases of rape against Catholic priests pending in different courts in the State.