Church Issues Expulsion Notice To Nun Who Condemned Bishop For Rape

The Franciscan Clarist Congregation has issued the final letter of warning to the Sister Lucy Kalapura after she participated in the protests against rape accused Franco Mullakal, former Bishop of the Jalandhar diocese. This is the third and final letter of warning that the Superior General of Franciscan Clarist Congregation has issued to sister Lucy instructing her to leave the congregation.

In the letter, the Congregation accused Kalapura, belonging to its St Mary's province at Mananthavady, of leading a life which was against the "principles of religious life" and the rules of the congregation.

She told the media on Friday that the congregation has asked her either to leave the congregation of her own accord or be ousted from it by the authorities. "It's sad that the church has asked me to leave the congregation. I joined the church when I was 17. I have lived a life following all the principles of religious life.

I don't have any other life. My reply to the second warning letter earlier was very clear. I have explained my stand," she said.

The notice directed Kalapura to explain her stand to Superior General sister at the Generalate of the Congregation before April 16.

The congregation has condemned her for taking a licence, buying a car, taking a loan for it, publishing a book besides spending money without permission and knowledge of her superiors. It has termed these activities as “grave violations.” While it may be in the congregation's list of policies that a nun isn’t supposed to do all of these things, but aren’t these rules out-dated?

The provincial Superior had disallowed Kalapura from publishing her collection of poems, but she still went ahead and published them as a book with the title "Snehamazhayil."

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Apart from these, the congregation superiors have more issues with Kalapura as she participated in TV channel discussions and writing articles for non-Christian newspapers, “levelling false charges against the Catholic leadership and belittling it.” It again described them as “grave scandal” but how shall a nun support a survivor from their own community if they stay silent on matters as grave as rape?

It's sad that the church has asked me to leave the congregation. I joined the church when I was 17. I have lived a life following all the principles of religious life.

The nun participated in a street protest against bishop Franco Mullakkal supporting a fellow nun who alleged that Mullakkal raped and sexually abused her several times. The protest was held in September last year by five nuns belonging to the Catholic religious order. They demanded the arrest of Franco Mulakkal.

A Kerala nun accused Mullakal, a senior member of the Roman Catholic clergy in India, of raping her and sexually assaulted her at the Kuravilangad convent between 2014 and 2016. The police arrested him last year after the allegations. He is currently out on bail. In the past few years, there have been some serious charges of rape and sexual abuse against bishops and priests coming into the spotlight.

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