After warning the whistleblower priest who supported Bishop Franco’s victim of disciplinary action, the church has now warned the nun who protested against the rape accused Bishop. The Catholic Church has sent a warning to Sister Lucy Kalapura for ‘attending channel discussions’, writing articles in ‘non-Christian newspapers’ and ‘making false accusations’ against the Catholic leadership.
Sr Ann Joseph FCC, Superior General of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) has threatened her with dismissal from the congregation. Sister Lucy has been asked to appear before the mother superior at the FCC generalate Aluva on Wednesday. Sister Lucy has said that she has no intention of appearing before mother suprerior as she believes she has done nothing wrong.
Franco Mulakkal, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar, is accused of raping a 44- year-old nun at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May 2014 and subsequent sexual exploitations afterward. The nun had registered a complaint in June this year and has also claimed that despite her complaints, the church took no action on the bishop. The congregation had also stood by the rape accused and referred to him as an “innocent soul”.
Bishop Franco Mulakkal, Archdiocese of Jalandhar, Punjab, was arrested by the police officials on September 21st after the investigating team finally found evidence that linked him in the sexual harassment case. However, The Kerala High court had granted him conditional bail on October 15 after asking him to appear before the investigation team once every two weeks and had also ordered to surrender his passport.