In a first, Catholic nuns protest ‘sexploitation’

For the first time in the Catholic church’s history in Kerala, a group of nuns defied their vows to come out in protest against church authorities and police for attempts to hush up the alleged rape of a nun by Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar. They sat for over three hours on Saturday near the inspector general’s office in Kochi, demanding Mulakkal’s immediate arrest.

The protests, organised by the Joint Christian Council, an apex body of independent Christian organisations, included seven nuns, five of them from Missionaries of Jesus congregation to which the rape survivor belongs.

‘We reported to Rome but they haven’t responded’


Bishop Mulakkal, who is from Thrissur, had allegedly abused the nun several times between 2014 and 2016 at St Francis Mission Home and Convent near Kottayam, where she is based. The bishop and the nun had worked together in the Jalandhar diocese.

The rape survivor had first filed a police complaint on June 27. “The church has not given us justice. Neither have police or the government. We will fight. It was the church which forced us onto the streets,” said Sr Anupama MJ, one of the protesters. The nuns also revealed they are facing threats and that church authorities initially tried to bribe them into silence.

“When we reported it to the nuncio they didn’t even send an acknowledgement. We also reported directly to Rome but even they haven’t responded,” she said.

Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council spokesperson Father Varghese Vallikkatt said, “If there is any truth in the allegations, there are enough forums within the church to raise complaints.”

The survivor’s brother said, “ There is a lot of evidence — doctors’ certificates, statements of the bishop’s driver, logbooks at the Kuruvilangad convent which disprove his alibi etc. Police are not arresting him because of pressure from the top,” he alleged.