Nun who took part in protest faces action

Priest too warned of disciplinary action

Waynad/ Kochi, Sept. 23: A Jacobite Priest has been warned of disciplinary action and a Catholic nun restrained from church duties in a fallout of their participation in protests in Kochi demanding the arrest of rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal.

Sister Lucy Kalapura, who returned to her parish in Wayand on Sunday morning from Kochi, claimed she was informed orally by the Mother Superior that she should keep away from holding catechism classes, conducting prayers and other activities related to the Syro Malabar catholic church.

“No written orders were given to me. I was only informed orally by the Mother Superior not to participate in any churchrelated activities,” the sister told PTI.

However, in a statement Father Stephen Kottakkal, vicar of the St Mary’s church Karakkamala in

Wayanad, said Sister Lucy had been asked to keep away from duties in view of certain concerns expressed by the parishioners.

He denied the church had initiated any retaliatory measure against Sister Lucy for participating in the nuns protest in Kochi.

“The believers had informed us that they had some difficulties in sister Lucy participating in the church activities relating to Holy mass and taking classes for their children,” he said. The vicar said he had only “conveyed” the general feeling of the parishioners with regard to certain posts of sister Lucy in the social media which they felt were not in consonance with the church beliefs. Many of them had informed him the same, he said.

The Franciscean Clarist Congregation St Mary’s province Mananthavady, to which sister Lucy belongs, said she faced disciplinary action for various other reasons.

However, no explanation had been sought or action taken so far against her in connection with the nun’s issue.

Sister Lucy, however, maintained the restraint order against her was only for participating in the protests at Kochi.

The priest, Bar Yuhanon Ramban, belonging to a dayara in Ernakulam district, said Sunday he had received a ‘ warning’ letter from his church headquarters in Damascus in Syria for supporting thenuns’ protest. The letter also said he had campaigned for the implementation of Church Act, he said.

The priest, Bar Yuhanon Ramban, had received a ‘ warning’ letter from his church headquarters in Damascus, Syria