The Vatican has removed the archbishop of the biggest Catholic diocese in Pakistan after an inquiry found him at the center of financial corruption, illegal sale of church property, and involvement in sexual abuse, according to reliable sources.
Rumors have been circulating since last month that the Vatican had decided to suspend Lahore Diocese Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw but the Pakistani Catholic leadership reportedly hushed up the issue. However, Lahore’s Archdiocesan Vicar General Father Asif Sardar announced on Aug 15 that 66-year-old Shaw was going on a sabbatical and Karachi Diocesan Archbishop Benny Mario Travas would be taking charge of the Lahore Diocese as the apostolic administrator.
Catholic Advocate Morris Nadeem told Christian Daily International that Father Sardar made the announcement during the Mass on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore on Thursday evening.
“Shaw was in the US in July when the rumours regarding his removal started making rounds in the community. However, the congregation members and clergy were dismayed when the archbishop returned to Pakistan and resumed his routine work. His removal has sent a wave of joy and relief in the Catholic congregation of Lahore,” said the lawyer who was present at the Thursday mass.
Christian Daily International contacted Shaw for comment on the allegations against him but he did not respond to phone calls and text messages. Bishop Samson Shukardin, the president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops Conference, and Father Sardar were also contacted but declined to make a statement regarding the charges against Shaw.
A senior leader of the Catholic church on condition of anonymity told Christian Daily International that the Vatican had been receiving complaints from priests and other church leaders against Shaw “for a very long time”.
“There is documentary evidence of the former archbishop selling church property by misusing his authority; his brothers and other family members were also actively involved in financial fraud in the Catholic Education Board. The final straw that broke the camel’s back and forced the Vatican to launch an inquiry against Shaw came when a Catholic priest accused the archbishop of pressurising him for a sexual relationship,” the source said.
In a video, Father Rashid Alfonse accused Shaw of being a “homosexual bishop” and narrated graphic details of happenings during his pastoral work at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore.
“I denied. My faith and spirituality were shattered. We want to get rid of this leadership,” Alfonse had said in the viral video posted on his Facebook wall on Aug 4, 2022.
“The bishop threatened me. I lived under pressure but didn’t refuse my vocation. I am ashamed to admit that a homo bishop ordained me. He repeatedly pressurised me to sodomise him and threatened me with transfer and losing a chance to become a parish priest,” Alfonse had alleged in the video.
At that time, Father Sardar, the archdiocesan vicar general, rejected the allegations levelled by the priest, instead accusing him of having an “unsound mind”.
The source claimed that Shaw had tried his best to keep the Vatican from announcing his removal, pleading that he would clear his name. “But the evidence against him was irrefutable.”
“The Pakistani Catholic church did not want to embarrass itself further which is why they decided to let Shaw leave quietly on the pretext of a sabbatical. However, many in the church believe that he must be held accountable for his crimes to set an example for other bishops,” said the source.
Shaw took charge of the Archdiocese of Lahore in 2013, but his tenure has been tainted with several controversies.
In 2017, he faced public condemnation for permitting a political party to use the central cathedral in Lahore for an election campaign. He is also accused of keeping silent on crucial issues like the abuse of the blasphemy laws and abductions and forced conversions of underage Christian girls, a majority of whom are Catholic.
