Five nuns belonging to the congregation of Missionaries of Jesus have taken to the streets in the southern Indian state of Kerala, demanding the arrest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal, head of the Jalandhar Diocese, in the state of Punjab.
He is accused of raping a nun multiple times between 2014-2016 - a charge he has dismissed as "baseless and concocted", but the move has sent shock waves across the state.
There are reports that the Vatican may now step in to investigate the matter.
In June 2017 the nun, who has not been named, filed a complaint to the church accusing a bishop of allegedly raping her 13 times over a period of two years. Since then she has filed several complaints to the Vatican and various other departments of the Catholic Church across India.
On 8th September the nuns took to the streets in an indefinite protest in front of the Kerala High Court in Kochi.
The bishop has denied the accusations. Source: AAP
Speaking to SBS Malayalam Sister Anupama, one of those protesting said: "We have knocked the door of the church and the door of our own congregation and we have sent complaints and told many times to the Sister General who is our Mother Superior who has to be protecting us.
“But no door was opened for us from the church and even from the parish priest of our Kuravilangadu church,” she said.
“We complained to the Vicar, the Bishop and then three letters to Rome. But nobody opened doors for us. Nobody."
“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.
“No justice we got. So to get justice we came out to the streets, we would not have been to the streets if our Church opened its door to us,” says Sister Anupama.
Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who is accused of raping a nun Source: Facebook
“We will continue with the strike till we get justice.”
According to reports the nun who accuses the bishop of raping her wrote a letter to the Vatican seeking help.
The eight-page letter is addressed to Giambattista Diquattro, the Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal, who is an ambassador to the Pope. In the letter, she has accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal and his "associates" of disturbing the life and peace of many sisters of the church.
It is the first time in the history of Kerala that nuns are raising their voices publicly on an issue within the Church. Although there have been many cases including murder cases against a few priests in Kerala, no nuns have come out to this extent.
The protest has now gained momentum with a number of people including celebrities and public figures joining the strike demanding the arrest of Bishop Franco.
‘We need justice’ 'Árrest Bishop Franco’ ‘Our lives are in danger’ read the placards held by the nuns and the supporters who are out on streets demanding justice from the church, the government and the police.
The protest that began last week follows a June complaint to police by a Missionary of Jesus nun. Source: AAP
Allegations raised against nuns
Amidst the strike, the nuns are also facing a number of allegations that they are deliberately tarnishing the reputation the Church and the Bishop.
A circular has also been issued by Superior Generals of various congregations instructing the nuns not to participate or provide any sort of support to the protest.
There have also been reports that the nun life has been threatened.
'Up to Pope Francis'
SBS Malayalam also spoke to the complainant’s brother who is also a priest working in the diocese of Jalandhar.
“We have filed complaints to three departments under Pope Francis. And we have received the receipt that they have received it. Now it is up to the Pope Francis to check it out,” the victim's brother, who has not been named, said.
“I don’t think that he is a person who does not understand this problem.
“But if he has turned his eyes, if he does not see the plea of the sisters who are protesting, I think it has to be condemned,” says the brother-priest.
“Three times we complained. You know, if the Vatican wants to give justice even a single complaint is enough to open the door of justice. As we haven’t received any response yet we don’t expect any now.
“Bishop Franco was a very powerful man during 2014-15. He was admired by many. So if the nun revealed the matter of sexual assault no one would have believed it. Also, she believed, bringing out this issue would harm me and another cousin of ours who works in the same diocese of Jalandhar controlled by Bishop Franco.
“After a while with constant back pain and headache, the nun’s health condition deteriorated and that’s when she was forced to open up the issue with us.
“The nuns are considered as the bride of Jesus and not of the bishops. He stole her virginity,” added the victim's brother.
'Conspiracy'
Bishop Franco Mulakkal has temporarily handed over the charge of the Jalandhar diocese amid the ongoing investigation by the Kerala police. He has been asked to appear before an investigation team on September 19th.
In a statement, he said he is leaving "everything into the hand of God as I await the result of the findings of the team probing the allegation."
Earlier he had stated that the nuns: "do not have just one grievance, they are protesting generally. The sisters (nuns) have just been put on the forefront. This is a conspiracy."
According to reports the congregation of Missionaries of Jesus, to which the nuns belong, issued a media release and released a photo of the victim. It led to a breach of law that states rape victims' identities should remain hidden. Kerala police have registered a complaint against the Missionaries of Jesus.
It is not the first time that the Catholic Church in Kerala is facing accusations of sexual assaults.
In May 2016, Father Robin Vadakkumcherry who was serving as a priest allegedly impregnated a minor girl. He was arrested and is facing imprisonment. In a separate incident, two priests were arrested over the death of a nun at a convent in Kerala in 1992. One nun is also accused and is facing trial, however, no one has been convicted yet.
In 2017, India strengthened its laws to convict rape and other sexual offences. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, the number of rape cases registered across the country in 2016 was over 40,000.
