Jury acquits Catholic priest in Tennessee who was charged with sexual battery

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A jury has found a Catholic priest in Tennessee not guilty of sexual battery against a woman who was a church member. Jurors handed down the verdict late last week in the case against Father Antony Punnackal. He was suspended from his role as pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Gatlinburg after being indicted in January 2022 on two counts of sexual battery. The charges centered on allegations that in February 2020 Punnackal committed sexual battery when the female parishioner came in for grief counseling. A lawsuit by the woman against Punnackal, the Diocese of Knoxville and a Catholic congregation remains active.