Monk removed as head of Chinese temple amid sex probe

The former head of China ’ s government-run Buddhist association has been removed as abbot of a Beijing temple following a sexual assault investigation , officials said .
Xuecheng , a Communist Party member and abbot of Beijing ’ s Longquan Monastery , is one of the most prominent figures to face accusations in China ’ s growing # MeToo movement .

He is under criminal investigation after a report by fellow monks accused him of sexual and financial improprieties , including coercing several nuns to have sex with him .
Investigators had also uncovered evidence that his monastery had broken national financial rules.

A prominent personality in Chinese Buddhist life with a social media following of millions , Xuecheng ’ s presence on China ’ s Twitter – like Weibo service has been silent since August 1 , when he posted a statement rejecting the sexual assault claims .

The Buddhist Association of China said in a statement the decision to remove him as abbot was made in a meeting last Friday after consulting a report by the country’ s top religious authority .

“ We have removed Xuecheng as the abbot of Beijing Longquan Monastery , ” it said .

He had stepped down as head of the Buddhist association earlier this month .

The 95 – page report , which circulated online late last month , contained allegations from two monks that Xuecheng had sent explicit text messages to at least six women .

The monks accused Xuecheng of threatening or cajoling the women to have sex with him , claiming it was a part of their Buddhist studies.

In their report , the two monks, who are no longer members of the monastery , said four women gave in to Xuecheng ’ s demands .

Both men were also asked to leave Longquan monastery after news of the report broke .

Located on the outskirts of Beijing , the monastery has made headlines for combining Buddhism with modern technology , launching last year a two – foot high robot monk that dispenses mantras and karmic advice.

The # MeToo movement ignited in China earlier this year with more women starting to open up about sexual assaults , especially on university campuses .

Unlike in the West , where # MeToo has forced resignations and sparked widespread public debate, authorities in China have sought to control the discussion , sometimes allowing and at other times censoring social media commentary.

( AFP )

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