Vatican rejects nun’s second plea
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vatican, the seat of the Roman Catholic church, has turned down a second plea of Sister Lucy Kalapura to revoke her expulsion from the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC), an aide of the nun said on Sunday.
Sister Kalapura, 52, was expelled from the congregation last August for “serious indiscipline”, but the nun claims she was victimised for supporting the agitation for the arrest of the deposed bishop of Jalandhar, Franco Mullakkal who is accused of raping a nun.
“Sister Kalapura received the Vatican order late on Saturday. The letter, written in Latin, clearly stated that her request was rejected outright. Details will be available once the letter is translated fully,” said the aide. He claimed that Sister Kalapura will continue her fight against the prevailing “corrupt” practices in Catholic church.
The Vatican had rejected her first plea to revoke her expulsion last November.
A local court in Wayanad in December had stayed the FCC action against her. In January, she again wrote to Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic church. A spokesperson of the FCC refused to comment on the issue.
The ‘Save Our Sisters’ forum, an outfit fighting for the reforms in the Church, said it will support Sister Kalapura, who is currently staying in a convent in Manthawady in Wayanad.
She had alleged two weeks ago that the convent authorities were
THE NUN SAYS SHE WAS VICTIMISED FOR SUPPORTING THE STIR FOR THE ARREST OF FRANCO MULLAKKAL, WHO IS ACCUSED OF RAPING A NUN
trying to evict her by depriving her of food .
“It is a pity the Church has disowned her again. People who take a stand are often neglected. Lord Jesus was most radical of his times and taught his followers to raise their voice against exploitation and inequality. It is tragic that Church authorities have forgotten these principles,” said Dr Valson Thampu, author and former principal of St Stephen’s College in Delhi.
Earlier, Sister Kalapura had claimed that her harassment intensified after her controversial autobiography, ‘Karthavinte Namathil’ (In the name of Christ), was released last December.
Her book has ruffled many feathers in the Church. The nun has alleged that sexual abuse and assaults are commonplace in convents and seminaries and called for institutional reforms.
She has also alleged that she faced sexual assault bids at least four times during her convent life and that many nuns easily sucthe cumb to these intimidations. She has claimed that some young nuns were subjected to sexual perversions at a priest’s official residence.
Sister Kalapura has also alleged that Father Robin Vadakumcherry, who is serving a double-life term for impregnating a minor girl in Kottiyoor in Kannur, has had illicit relationship with many nuns.
Sister Kalapura was among the many nuns who staged a sit-in protest in Kochi to demand the arrest of Mullakkal .
In June 2018, a 43-year-old nun filed a police complaint alleging that Mullakkal had sexually assaulted her after summoning her on the pretext of discussing an important issue in 2014 and that the assaults continued for over two years.
A special investigation team (SIT) of the Kerala Police arrested Mullakal last September after several rounds of questioning. Trial in the case began in a court in Kottayam last month.