Apology from Kripamoya Prabhu
BY: SANAKA RSI DASA
Sep 01, USA (SUN) — Kripamoya Prabhu offers his apologies in response to the August 12th " Open Letter to Kripamoya on Gauri's Forced Resignation".
Dear Sanaka Rsi Prabhu, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
I want to apologise to you for the manner in which I announced the resignation of Gauri and the circumstances surrounding his resignation.
As you know, I wrote a letter informing certain members of Bhaktivedanta Manor's congregation about the recent developments. Most of the recipients were devotees I know personally, and I often write such letters to keep them all updated with the latest news. Yet in the sense that I am one of the congregational directors of the Manor, and because the letter conveyed news of considerable seriousness, my letter was therefore an 'official' communication.
As such, I should have checked the contents thoroughly to see whether they adequately reflected the ISKCON management's collective understanding and decision on the matter. The Child Protection Office is an ISKCON body created by the GBC, our highest authority in all matters of governance. That being the case, the CPO's decisions are final, and reflective of the GBC's concern to properly expedite all child protection cases. Although I wanted to communicate only the facts of the matter, I also included an indirect suggestion that the Manor management was, in its unexpected sense of loss of a temple president, reluctant to accept the decision of the Child Protection Office.
This was not the case however, and I apologise for inadvertently conveying this to some members of the temple congregation. I trust that the Manor management's full compliance with the CPO orders has assured both yourself and others of our intent to do everything required of us.
What is more important perhaps, is that my letter seems to have conveyed to external readers that here was a management body of ISKCON displaying insensitivity to the ongoing pain and frustration of all those former students who have waited so long for their case to be concluded.
I deeply regret any such hurt my insensitive choice of words have caused, and I assure you that no ill will was ever intended. As a father of three children myself, I am quite aware of my own protective feelings and of the need for our Society to be fully worthy of trust.
So in conclusion, I ask that you kindly forgive my clumsiness of communication, and know that I am aware of the need within our great international community of devotees for understanding, compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation. I hope that I can become a part of that process.
Your servant
Kripamoya Das
