A 60-year-old Catholic priest from Kerala was arrested in Canada by Peel Regional Police on the 18th December on charges of sexual assault and sexual interference with children under the age of 16. Father James Cherickal, who hails from Kozhikode, belongs to the Kochi-based Syro-Malabar Church, which is the most prominent Catholic segment in Kerala and one of the 23 Oriental Churches under Rome. Following his arrest, Father James Cherickal was removed by the Archdiocese of Toronto from pastoral ministry.
As per reports, Father James Cherickal belonged to the Syro-Malabar diocese of Thamarassery. He was deputed to work in different parishes under the Archdiocese of Toronto for about 3 decades. In a statement issued after Cherickal’s arrest, the Archdiocese of Toronto announced his removal from pastoral ministry. “The Archdiocese of Toronto learned of an allegation of misconduct against Fr James Cherickal, a priest in ministry in the archdiocese currently serving as pastor of St. Jerome’s Catholic Church in Brampton. On December 18, 2025, Peel Regional Police charged Fr Cherickal with one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference,” said the statement issued on 20th December.
“Following our protocols and procedures relating to allegations of misconduct, Fr Cherickal has been removed from pastoral ministry. As with any accused in our Canadian legal system, he is considered innocent until proven guilty and entitled to due process. The Archdiocese of Toronto looks upon any accusation of misconduct as an urgent matter that requires serious attention,” the statement added.
In the aftermath of Cherickal’s arrest, St Jerome’s Church, where he had been working, cancelled Holy Mass between December 25 and January 3. According to the Archdiocese of Toronto, Cherickal has worked in various parishes since 1997. Last year, he moved to St Jerome’s Church. He has also served the Syro-Malabar mission in Canada, which was established for Catholic migrants from Kerala.
It is reported that Cherickal is among hundreds of priests from Kerala who went to foreign countries to fill vacancies of priests in churches there. Many of these priests work with churches set up by the Syro-Malabar Church in Canada, the UK and Australia, where a large number of Catholic families from Kerala are settled. Cherickal worked with the Diocese of Thamarassery in various capacities before moving to Canada.
