KOCHI, India (UCAN) -- Church people in Kerala have rallied behind two Catholic priests and a nun arrested in connection with a 16-year-old murder case.

The arrests are an attempt to "save the skin" of the federal investigating agency, says Father Paul Thelakat, spokesperson of the Kerala-based Syro-Malabar Church (SMC), an Oriental Catholic rite.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Fathers Thomas Kottoor, 61, and Jose Poothrukayil, 56, on Nov. 18 and St. Joseph Sister Sephy, 45, a day later. All three belong to the SMC's Kottayam archdiocese.

A lower court in Kochi on Nov. 19 remanded the three to judicial custody for 14 days. The city, Kerala's commercial capital, lies 2,595 kilometers south of New Delhi.

According to media reports, police accused one of the priests of bludgeoning St. Joseph Sister Abhaya and the three of dumping her body in a convent well in Kottayam on March 27, 1992.

Sister Abhaya, 21, resided at the women's hostel in St. Pius X Convent in Kottayam, where Sister Sephy worked as a hostel warden. Kottayam, a Christian stronghold, is 55 kilometers south of Kochi.

Five CBI teams probed the case over the past 16 years. Nandakumaran Nair, who headed the latest team, told UCA News they acted on fresh evidence and a statement from Sanju P. Mathew, who lives near the convent.

Nair said Mathew filed a statement in court that said he had seen both the priests in the convent vicinity on the night of the murder. Police reportedly detained Mathew a week ago.

Most Church people contacted by UCA News were reluctant to comment on the arrests. However, Father Thelakat expressed dismay at the sudden availability of evidence, observing that no evidence was available for 16 years of investigations that used "all possible scientific methods."

The SMC spokesperson recalled that the names of the priests and the nun had appeared in the media soon after the murder, and that the investigating teams had interrogated them several times. "I hope their innocence will be proved in court," he said.

Recalling that the media earlier accused the Church of protecting guilty parties, he maintained the arrests now prove the Church never meddled with the investigation.

Father Thelakat suggested the investigators made the arrests as "a face-saving exercise" and to escape court criticism. The state's High Court had criticized the CBI several times when it claimed it could not arrest the culprits for want of evidence. The agency had accused local state police of destroying evidence in their initial investigation.

A lay organization in Kottayam archdiocese also accused the CBI of conducting its investigation "with a script and motive." In a Nov. 19 press release, the organization said the arrests have dented the agency's credibility.

P.P. Joy, a High Court lawyer, pointed out that the priests and nun were arrested "for their suspected involvement" in the crime and "should not be treated as guilty unless proved in the court." He accused the media of sensationalizing the case and presenting the accused as guilty. "It's a dangerous trend if the media groups take up the judiciary's role," he told UCA News.

Sebastian Paul, a parliamentarian from Kerala, urged all to treat the arrests as part of the process of law. Nonetheless, he told UCA News the arrests would "certainly haunt" the Church for a long time, since "a poor nun was murdered in a convent."

Several laypeople said the developments show the need for more prayers for the Church. "It is shocking news. But we do not know yet if they are guilty," said Renny Njarakkulam, 39, editor of a Catholic youth magazine.

Abraham Jacob, 42, a medical doctor, suspects the arrests are "part of a hidden agenda to tarnish" the Church's image. "Gradually, the Church is losing its image of holiness and credibility."

Retired Catholic schoolteacher Mathew Kalampukatt summed up the sentiments of many when he told UCA News: "Dedicated life has become a profession. Many Religious are struggling to make money."

Meanwhile many priests, nuns and relatives have visited the arrested, while some people threw stones at St. Pius X Convent after the media reported the arrests. Police now guard the convent.

The arrests have generated unprecedented public attention. Father Shaiju Naduvathinal of Palghat diocese told UCA News he saw people crowding electronic appliances shops to watch TV coverage.

"People reacted to the arrest as the victory of the investigators. They didn't seem to bother whether the arrested were Catholic priests or nuns. They wanted the truth," he said.

END