Kerala nun who protested against rape accused Bishop expelled from congregation for her ‘lifestyle’

PTI, Aug 8, 2019, 2:29 PM IST

Kochi: A Kerala nun who took part in a protest against former bishop of Jalandhar diocese in connection with a rape case has been expelled by the Franciscan Clarist Congregation for ‘failing to give a satisfactory explanation’ for her lifestyle “in violation of the proper law of the FCC.”

Sister Lucy Kalappura had also published poems, purchased a car and taken part in a protest against a rape accused former bishop of Jalandhar diocese.

The congregation, under the Roman Catholic Church, said the nun was issued “proper canonical warnings”, but did not show the needed remorse.

In its August 5 letter to her, head of the Aluva based congregation, Ann Joseph said “you are hereby dismissed from the Franciscan Clarist Congregation as you failed to give a satisfactory explanation for your lifestyle in violation of the proper law of the FCC”.

The “unanimous decision” to dismiss the nun was taken at the congregation’s General Council on May 11 this year.

This was sent to the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Vatican through the Nuntiature in New Delhi.

On August 5 the congregation received the communication from the “Apostolic See” that the dismissal decree had got the needed confirmation.

The letter by the Vatican said the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, by virtue of the faculty given to it by Pope Francis, had considered everything seriously.

The Congregation, however, said she was entitled to make “recourse against the decree” within 10 days from the day on which she receives the communication, in which case the decree of dismissal would have suspensive effect.

Sister Lucy Kalappura termed as “100 per cent wrong” the decision taken by the congregation.

Talking to reporters at Mananthavady in Wayanad district, she sought help from all who love her to come together and think of the steps to be taken.

Indicating that she would fight the issue legally, she hoped legal experts would help her overcome the situation.

In its notice to the nun early in January,the congregation had termed as “grave violations”, Sister Lucy having a driving licence, buying a car, taking a loan for it and publishing a book and spending money without the permission and knowledge of her superiors.

The provincial superior had denied permission to Sister Lucy to publish her collection of poems.

She was issued a second notice later to give an explanation in writing for allegedly violating its discipline.

The second notice was issued by the Franciscan Clarist Congregation as she did not turn up before her congregation head after being summoned to give the explanation.

Sister Lucy Kalappura had dismissed some 14 charges levelled against her by the congregation, saying many of them were a “deliberate attempt” to paint her in “bad light”.

“I am deeply hurt by such baseless allegations against me. It is a kind of a threat, aiming to put me under mental stress,” sister Lucy Kalapura, belonging to FCC’s St Mary’s province at Mananthavady, had said.

“I feel alienated,” she had said when asked about her thoughts after receiving such notices,

In its notices, the congregation had alleged that the nun violated FCC’s dress code in public without any permission” and “caused grave external scandal and harm to the Church” by participating in the protest by ‘Save Our Sisters Action Council’ on September 20 2018 at Kochi, seeking the arrest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of raping a nun in Kerala.

It had described her actions as “improper behaviour in religious life and violations of religious discipline.”

She had also allegedly published her book ‘Snehamazhayil’ without seeking permission from her superiors.

The congregation had also termed as a “grave scandal”, the nun’s participation in discussions on TV news channels and writing articles for non-Christian newspapers, “making false charges against the Catholic leadership and belittling it.”

The sister had invited the wrath of the Church by participating in a street protest in Kochi by five nuns of the Catholic religious order Missionaries of Jesus, who were demanding the arrest of Bishop Mulakkal.