Head of China Buddhist Association accused of sexually abusing nuns
DHARAMSALA, August 3: The Head of China Buddhist Association who is also a member of the Communist Party’s top political advisory body has been accused of sexually harassing and assaulting multiple nuns.
Xuecheng, the abbot of Longquan Monastery in Beijing, has been accused of coercing nuns to have sex with him according to various media reports.
The allegations against Xuecheng, the president of the Buddhist Association of China were outlined in a 95-page document prepared by two former monks at the monastery, reports Reuters.
The document includes extensive details and screenshots of explicit text messages allegedly sent by Xuecheng, including claims to nuns that they could be “purified” through the physical contact and that sex was part of their study of religious doctrines went viral on Chinese social media on Tuesday amid a wave of other allegations that has stoked heated debate and seen China’s fledgling #MeToo movement gain momentum and widen to different aspects of Chinese society despite government pressure and censorship, the report said.
The 51-year abbot has denied the allegations and instead issued a statement on his Weibo; China’s Twitter-like social media platform, and stated that the allegations against him stemmed from ‘fabricated material’ and ‘distorted facts’, the report noted.
According to the report, the abbot of Longquan Monastery was accused of sexually harassing and assaulting multiple female nuns in the 95-page document which was reportedly submitted to the Chinese authorities earlier in July by two former monks from the monastery.
China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs has said in a statement it issued yesterday that it attaches high importance to the claim and that it has started an investigation.
However, the Longquan monastery stated in its statement that it reserved the right to take legal action against its two former monks who prepared the document which accused the abbot of sexually harassing and assaulting multiple nuns.
