A group of nuns who led a historic protest in the southern Indian state of Kerala that made the headlines worldwide last year have been issued with transfer notices by the Catholic Church.
In response, the nuns have produced a letter to the Chief Minister of Kerala and higher authorities requesting a stall in the transfer, stating that the church is trying to disturb their peace and is attempting to silence them.
“We are facing threats to our lives. The church is trying to silence us. They want to split all of us and send us to different locations. This can sabotage the case against the accused Bishop,” say the five nuns who took to streets to protest the Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who has been accused of sexual assault.
Accused of evading their religious responsibilities and for taking a rebellious stand against the Church, Sister Anupama, Sister Josephine, Sister Alphy and Sister Ancitta have been asked to rejoin their communities in Punjab, Jarkhand, Bihar and Kannur respectively in separate letters issued to them. The letters came from Sister Regina Kadamthottu, Mother General at the convent of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation in Kuravilangadu, Kerala.
This prompted the nuns to draft their letter to the Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan requesting an intervention in the matter which would allow them to stay in the same convent at least until the trial of the case comes to an end.
“The church is trying to silence us. The transfer is an act of vengeance,” say the nuns in the letter to Chief Minister.
The victim of the alleged rape also writes in the letter: “It is to mentally harass me and torture me. The transfer of other nuns who are my only supporters here is aimed at separating them from me and thereby harassing me mentally.”
Further reports suggest that the nuns are not receiving proper care or treatment after they refused to move to other locations as per the transfer notice. Many social organizations have come forward to support the nuns.
It was an unprecedented event in India when the five nuns protested in front of the Kerala High Court in Kochi against the Catholic Church and Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who was accused of raping a nun multiple times between 2014 and 2016.
It was the first time in the history of Kerala that nuns had publicly raised their voices on an issue within the Church. Although there have been charges brought against priests in Kerala in the past (including murder), no nuns have come out to this extent.
The protest which began on September 8, 2018 seeking justice for the victim ended only after the accused Bishop was arrested.
The 54-year-old bishop had previously denied all accusations but was arrested after the week-long protest by the nuns. He was granted bail by a Kerala court not long after the arrest.
Nuns hold placards during a protest demanding justice after an alleged sexual assault of a nun by a bishop Source: Getty Images
During the protest, the alleged victim's brother, a priest and Sister Anupama, one of the nuns who led the protest spoke to SBS Malayalam.
“Bishop Franco was going on mentally torturing us. He filed a case against me and the victim. After that, he filed a case against the victim’s brother and all the family members who were supporting her,” Sister Anupama told SBS Malayalam.
There were also reports that the nuns’ lives had been threatened. At the time of the protest, a notice was issued by Superior Generals of various congregations instructing nuns not to participate or provide any sort of support to the protest.
