A day before a Kottayam court is slated to take up the discharge petition of former Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal accused of raping a Kerala-based nun, a fresh charge surfaced against him on Friday. A statement by another nun from the state leaked out in which she accused him of sexual harassment.
In her statement to the police, the nun, one of the witnesses in the ongoing case against Mulakkal, said that she was sexually harassed by the deposed bishop. She said she was forced to show her private parts and the bishop often used to strip during the video calls that he made to her.
The nun said that these incidents occurred in 2015 after she was summoned by the bishop to discuss some important issues. She further claimed that some other nuns had also undergone similar plight but were scared to speak against the ‘powerful’ bishop.
“I felt aversion to it as it was hurting my self-esteem. But he continued to talk utter obscene things. Later he started video chats describing his body and mine too. I was not interested in sexting but did not have the courage to oppose him as he headed our congregation,” she said in her statement given to the special investigation team (SIT) probing the case.
In June 2018, a 43-year-old nun, also a mother superior, had complained to the police in Kottyam that Mullakkal had raped her several times between 2014 and 2016. The nun is a member of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation based in Punjab. But Mulakkal denied her charges saying he was framed after he took action against her for financial irregularities in the convent. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the case arrested him on September 21, 2018, after several rounds of questioning. The priest got bail on October 16, 2018. He was later removed from the post of bishop.
{{/usCountry}}In June 2018, a 43-year-old nun, also a mother superior, had complained to the police in Kottyam that Mullakkal had raped her several times between 2014 and 2016. The nun is a member of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation based in Punjab. But Mulakkal denied her charges saying he was framed after he took action against her for financial irregularities in the convent. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the case arrested him on September 21, 2018, after several rounds of questioning. The priest got bail on October 16, 2018. He was later removed from the post of bishop.
{{/usCountry}}The SIT filed a charge sheet in the case last year which was supposed to begin on November 11 but was adjourned twice . He then filed a discharge petition seeking to quash charges against him, saying he was wrongly implicated in the case.
In the present case, the nun had given the statement the SIT last year but the police did not file a separate case against Franco Mulakkal after the 36-year-old nun insisted she was not willing to pursue the charges, said a senior police officer who supervised the probe. On Friday, her detailed statement was leaked to the media by ‘Save Our Sister Forum’, an outfit fighting for reforms in the church.
Supporters of Mulakkal claim the leaking of the nun’s statement was part of a conspiracy as his discharge plea is coming up in the court. “His discharge plea is coming up before the court on Saturday and the timing of the leak is really mysterious. This was a ploy to implicate him in more cases,” said Indian Catholic Forum leader Binu Chacko.
Five nuns, who sat on a fast in Kochi two years ago seeking his arrest, were not available for their comments.