Looks like Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who has been accused of raping a Kerala nun, might actually end up standing trial for the same. The survivor had accused Mulakkal or raping her between 2014 and 2016.

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Interestingly, the FCC’s reason for dismissal was the nun’s lifestyle. They objected to her learning how to drive and writing poems! Supervisor General of the FCC Ann Joseph reportedly wrote to Sister Lucy informing her of her dismissal claiming they had approval from the Vatican to do so!

According to The News Minute, a part of the letter of confirmation from Vatican read, “The Congregation for the Oriental Churches, by virtue of the faculty given to it by the Supreme Pontiff Pope Francis having considered everything seriously, has granted the confirmation, as per the request, so that the same professed one remains freed from her religious profession and other obligations and separated from her Religious Congregation, and to be considered dismissed from her religious life, and to be considered as a simple layperson the other things to be done what are to be done according to the law.”  

All of this is particularly disturbing in light of how the case has developed so far.

Brief Background of the rape case
The rape survivor nun had filed a police complaint saying that she was allegedly raped 13 times by Jallandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal over a period of two years (2014-2016), when she was at a convent in Kuravilangad, a small town near Kottayam in Kerala. The accused Bishop admits to have stayed in a room at a mission house at the convent on 13 occasions when he visited Kerala during that period.

The nun said that she had approached church authorities on multiple occasions, but her complaints fell on deaf ears, forcing her to approach the police. In fact, during police investigations, Joseph Kallarangatt who is Bishop of the Syro-Malabar diocese of Pala, told investigators that the nun had met him and told him about her ordeal.

Cardinal claims never received any rape complaint
Then, fingers were being pointed at Cardinal George Allencherry for knowing about the abuse but failing to act against it. However, the Cardinal claimed that his office did not receive any complaint of rape! When a police team led by Vaikom Dy SP K Subhash questioned the Cardinal, he said he never received a rape complaint from the nun, though she did raise some concerns about some issues at her convent for which she was directed to approach the concerned congregation.

In fact, the official communique from the Church said, “It is unclear from media reports who is this nun. However, a nun working with Jalandhar diocese had met the cardinal and complained about some appointments and transfers in her congregation and the inconveniences she faced. Since her congregation belonged to Jalandhar diocese, which comes congregation belonged to Jalandhar diocese, which comes under the Latin hierarchy, she was advised to approach it as the cardinal had no jurisdiction.”

Accused priest engages in victim shaming
Meanwhile, Bishop Franco Mulakkal, the accused, claimed in an interview to Times of India that his conscience is clear. In fact, in the same interview he launched a counter allegation against the nun claiming that she was getting back at him because he was investigating her for her alleged affair with the husband of one of her cousins. In 2016, the nun was posted with the Mission of Jesus Sisters in Jallandhar, where the accused is the Bishop of the diocese.

According to Sister Regina, Superior General of the mission, in November that year, the nun’s cousin had approached the church alleging that the nun was having an affair with her husband and she urged the church to step in to save her family. Sister Regina and a committee of four sisters pursued the investigation after getting the go ahead from Bishop Mulakkal. Interestingly, Bishop Mulakkal’s duties have neither been terminated nor has he been even suspended pending investigation.

Senior clergy and nuns write to CBCI and Vatican
Several senior priests and nuns wrote to Cardinal Oswald Gracious, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India and Vatican Nuncio Giambattista Diquattro, demanding that that the accused Bishop be relieved of his duties. “Now that the case has gone to the courts, we urge you to please advise Pope Francis to relieve the bishop concerned of his pastoral responsibilities, so that the Church is seen to actually practice the ‘zero tolerance’ it professes to observe in abuse cases. With the accused bishop continuing to remain in his position, it will continue to erode the faith of the people in the credibility of the Church to implement its policy of zero tolerance and act justly in abuse matters,” said the letter to the CBCI president.

“The accused bishop continuing to remain in his position will erode the faith of the people in the credibility of the Church to implement its policy of zero tolerance and act justly in abuse matters,” said the letter to the Vatican Nuncio.

Congregation releases rape survivor nun’s picture, Bishop forced to step down
After the Missionaries of Jesus congregation broke the law by releasing a photograph of the rape survivor nun from Kerala, the church authorities were forced to take action against the accused Bishop as a face saving measure. The congregation, in a bid to shame the survivor, had released a picture showing her seated by Bishop Franco Mulakkal, the priest accused of raping her. But after outrage against this despicable move, the accused bishop was forced to step down from his position. He of course claimed he had done this of his own volition citing his need to be present for further questioning.

The Bishop was temporarily relieved of his duties by the Vatican. The Bishop had applied for anticipatory bail before the Kerala High Court and was questioned by the Crime Branch in Kochi.

Nun protest sexual exploitation, Bishop finally arrested
In an unprecedented protest nuns came out on the street demanding the arrest of the Bishop. The protest went on for two whole weeks. Sister Lucy played a prominent role in this protest and challenged the patriarchy within the Church. This, even as Mulakkal was being questioned by the police. Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal was arrested on charges of rape after a three day long drilling by Kerala police in Kochi.  

Key witness dies under mysterious circumstances
In October 2018, Father Kuriakose Kattuthara, 62, a priest at St Paul’s church in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, was found dead in his room in the church on Monday morning. He had testified against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, the Catholic priest accused of raping a Kerala nun and supported the protests by other nuns. He had made statements claiming that he feared for his life.
His family has filed a police complaint calling it a “mysterious, sudden death” and alleging he feared for his life and was attacked earlier. The police said that no injury was found but there were signs he had vomited. This death came just a week after the accused was released on bail.

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Thiruvananthapuram: A collective of eight independent church organisations has asked Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to intervene and stall the transfer orders issued to five nuns who had protested against rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal.
 
“The rape survivor and the other five nuns, Sr. Anupama, Sr. Josephine, Sr. Alphy, Sr. Ancitta and Sr. Neena Rose who supported her in the case against Franco Mulakkal are facing an imminent threat of being separated and sent away from Kerala by their congregation, the Missionaries of Jesus. Ever since they participated in the month-long agitation held at Vanchi square, they were individually targeted and harassed within the convent by the church authorities,” Save Our Sisters (SOS) wrote in the letter.
 

The collective urged the state government to “initiate immediate action” to stall the orders asking the nuns to move out of their present convent, “where the government is giving them protection till the trial is completed”.
 
Earlier this month, the Catholic Church ordered four nuns – Alphy Pallasseril, Anupama Kelamangalathuveliyil, Josephine Villoonnickal and Ancitta Urumbil – to leave the Kuravilangad convent and return to the convents that had been assigned to them between March and May. The following week, the fifth nun – Neena Rose Edathil – was also asked to report to the Missionaries of Jesus congregation’s Jalandhar convent.
 
Mulakkal has been accused of raping a nun belonging to the order of Missionaries of Jesus several times between 2014 and 2016. He spent three weeks at Pala jail before he got bail.
 
SOS was concerned about the nuns safety and the future of the case. “Now that the case is being actively pursued by the state, the Congregation has strengthened its pressure tactics against the nuns in an obvious attempt to weaken the case by influencing and interfering in their evidence. The four nuns who are supporting the rape survivor, who are also key witnesses in the case against Franco Mulakkal, have been asked to join different convents in Punjab, Jharkhand, Bihar and Kannur. Sr. Neena Rose is being asked by the church to appear before the authorities in Jalandhar by Jan 26, where Franco Mulakkal is at present housed, and explain her actions. All five of them are key witnesses in the case. This act of commanding the nun for personal appearance amounts to a direct intervention of church authorities in weakening their case, and throttling their voice from the public sphere,” they wrote.
 
SOS also spoke about how another nun was obstructing justice and harassing the protesting sisters. “It is apparent that the Congregation is ensuring that the key witnesses are moved out of the Kerala police jurisdiction, but at the same time accessible to Franco Mulakkal and his supporters. It needs to be emphasized here that Sr. Regina, the Mother Superior, who has directed the sister for a personal appearance at Jalandhar is a strong supporter of Bishop Franco and had voluntarily deposed before the police in his defence. Besides, she had also come out explicitly against the nuns both in print and visual media. It is also evident that Sr. Regina denied opportunity to Sr. Neena Rose to appear for the final examination of her Post Graduate course. Apart from this, Sr. Anupama was compelled by Franco Mulakkal to write an apology in November 2017, and Sr. Regina was instrumental in making this happen. It needs to be noted with a high amount of suspicion that since Sr. Regina is directly involved in commanding a witness to go to Jalandhar, where Franco Mulakkal reportedly resides, the highest offices of power in the church is being misused for the illegal protection of Franco Mulakkal,” they wrote.
 
“In this context, it is to be noted that one of the main witnesses, in this case, Fr. Kuriakose Kattuthara died under suspicious circumstances in Jalandhar after Franco Mulakkal was released on bail. Fr. Kattuthara’s relatives have raised this issue and they suspect a well-planned murder. We strongly believe that by enforcing the transfer order issued to the nuns supporting the survivor/witnesses, the congregation of Missionaries of Jesus is, in fact, helping the accused Franco Mulakkal to come in contact with the witnesses in a bid to influence their evidence. In effect, the congregation authorities are liable for criminal obstruction of justice. Also, the effort to scatter the nuns should also be read as an attempt to destabilise the solidarity that they have built within the church and among the public around this issue,” they added.
 
Speaking about the Witness Protection Scheme, they added that the congregation was impinging upon the nuns rights. “Further, in the Witness Protection Scheme 2018 approved by the Supreme Court of India, the section “Types of Protection Measures” envisages that the authorities should ensure that “witness and accused do not come face to face during investigation or trial”. The principle underlying the Witness Protection Scheme is to see that the accused and his supporters never threaten or intimidate the witness or endanger their lives or use any kind of force or influence over them. Hence, the congregation of Missionaries of Jesus is bound to extend protection and support to the rape survivor and the nuns (witnesses) who rallied around her. Moreover, the state is also bound to ensure their safety and ensure safeguards guaranteed under law,” they said.
 
They said, “It is now a well-known fact that the accused Franco Malakal enjoys immense clout among his congregation members, priests, nuns and laity alike, inside and outside Kerala. We strongly fear that any move to get the nuns, who are key witnesses in the case, out of their convent where police protection is already ensured will be disastrous and is likely to annul their evidence and may even put their lives at risk. Under these circumstances, we urge the government to ensure that their lives and safety are not endangered by enforcing the transfer order.”
 

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Jalandhar: Father Kuriakose Kattuthara, 62, a priest at St Paul’s church in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, was found dead in his room in the church on Monday morning. He had testified against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, the Catholic priest accused of raping a Kerala nun and supported the protests by other nuns. He had made statements claiming that he feared for his life.
 
His family has filed a police complaint calling it a “mysterious, sudden death” and alleging he feared for his life and was attacked earlier.
 
The police said that no injury was found but there were signs he had vomited. Blood pressure medicine was also found near him.
 
A police complaint was filed by Father Kuriakose’s brother in Alappuzha. “…my brother was repeatedly threatened by persons close to the bishop (who) damaged a car and threw stones at his house in Jalandhar…There was a deliberate attempt on the part of the bishop, his relatives and associates to persuade the witnesses in the case either through undue influence or threatening,” said Jose Kurian in a report by NDTV, demanding that the body be brought to Alappuzha instead of being given to the Punjab police.
 
Franco Mulakkal, a senior priest accused of repeatedly raping a nun between 2013 and 2016, was released from a prison in Kerala on bail last week. He was welcomed by his supporters with rose petals and garlanded when he arrived in Jalandhar. Father Kuriakose was seen as the prime witness in the case.
 
The investigating officer of the case, DYSP Subhash told NDTV: “Father Kuriakose was a witness but did not have any pivotal role in the case. He was one of the priests we questioned and is among the five-six priests who mentioned that they were aware of the allegations against Bishop Franco.”
 
“Father Kuriakose’s brother said he was diabetic and a blood pressure patient but had no major health problem. “Three days ago, I talked with him and he told me he was facing threats and other hooliganism from the associates of the bishop and he even feared for his life,” he wrote in the report.
 
One of the five nuns who came out in solidarity with their colleague in her allegations against the bishop told NDTV, “We are very shaken by this news. We suspect something is wrong. We had found out he was under pressure not to talk in our support. He repeatedly did that”.
 
“His body has been sent for an autopsy in Jalandhar, and the report is awaited. However, Father Kattuthara’s family has demanded that his body be brought back to Kerala, and that the postmortem examination be conducted in the state and not in Punjab. Father Kuriakose’s brother told ANI: (We) have no faith in the Punjab Police. We want to bring the body to Alappuzha and bury it. If they want to do postmortem without letting us know, is there any guarantee that it’ll be done without foul play?” reported Firstpost.
 
Bishop Mulakkal’s spokesperson from Jalandhar diocese, Father Peter, said that his death was natural and Bishop Mulakkal had no personal enmity with him.
 
“We got to know about this at 10 am today (Monday). Bishop (Franco Mulakkal) has no connection with the death of Father Kattuthara, as there was no personal enmity between them,” Father Peter was quoted as saying by CNN-News18.
 
“The body of Kattuthara, a native of Allepy in Kerala, was found in his room on the premises of the St Mary’s Church by his cook around 9am. The cook, identified as Madan, knocked on the priest’s door for breakfast but he did not respond. Madan then informed Sister Lisabeth, the principal of the St Paul Convent School. “When we broke open the door, we found father lying on his bed. We immediately took him to the civil hospital, where he was declared brought dead,” said Sister Lisabeth said. “There was vomit in the room and some tablets were found near the bed,” she added. Lisabeth said that Kattuthara was suffering from multiple health ailments, including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problem, and on was medication,” reported Hindustan Times.
 
“Earlier, Father Kuriakose has alleged that he was under severe pressure by church officials for his support of the nun who has accused the bishop of rape. In an interview to Mathrubhumi, Fr Kuriakose had said, “The sisters had approached me complaining about Bishop Franco. They did not approach the Kerala police fearing the bishop. In fact, I fear what will happen to me for speaking out against him.” Father Kuriakose, who was a vocational teacher at the Jalandhar diocese, had also taught the survivor nun and the other nuns who protested for justice. SP Harishankar, who is investigating the rape case, confirmed to TNM that Father Kuriakose was a prosecution witness against Bishop Franco in the case,” reported The News Minute. 

Read Also:
Kerala Nun Rape Case: Vatican temporarily relieves accused Bishop of his duties
Rape of a Nun: Bishop Franco Mulakkal Arrested 
How the Church needs to change the way it addresses Sexual and Gender-based abuse
 

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Shortly after the matter of her rape and prolonged sexual abuse came to light, several efforts were made to question the survivor nun’s credibility. In an interview to Times of India, Bishop Franco Mulakkal, had claimed that his conscience was clear and that the nun was getting back at him because he was investigating her for her alleged affair with the husband of one of her cousins. Infact, the Missionaries of Jesus congregation had released a photograph of the survivor nun with the accused Bishop in a purported bid to discredit the nun’s claims.

Following this there was a huge outcry and the Church came under tremendous pressure to take action against the Bishop. Not only did the survivor nun’s fellow sisters stage a sit-in protest, the treatment meted out to her, but several  senior priests and nuns have written to Cardinal Oswald Gracious, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India and Vatican Nuncio Giambattista Diquattro, demanding that that the accused Bishop be relieved of his duties. Catholic activists from feminist organizations Safe Cities and the Zero Tolerance Campaign also wrote to the Pope demanding justice for the survivor nun.

In what is being seen as a face saving measure by the Church, Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused bishop stepped down from his position on September 15, citing his need to be present for further questioning. On September 20, the Vatican relieved him of his duties, replacing him with Bishop AR Gracias. An official communiqué by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India said,
“The Holy Father has received the request of Bishop Franco Mulakkal to be temporarily relieved of his pastoral responsibilities in the diocese of Jalandhar.
 
Having considered all circumstances the Holy Father has accepted this request of Bishop Mulakkal and has appointed Bishop Agnelo Rufino Gracias, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Bombay as Apostolic Administrator of the diocese of Jalandhar, sede plena et ad mutum Sanctae Sedis with immediate effect.
 
Our prayers accompany Bishop Gracias as he takes on this responsibility.”
 

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