Who is Franco Mulakkal, the rape-accused priest who has stepped down?
Who is Franco Mulakkal, the rape-accused priest who has stepped down?
There was a kind of hush at Kerala’s Joint Christian Council, the organisation that has been at the forefront of an agitation against Roman Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal, as the priest on Thursday resigned as bishop of the Jalandhar diocese. The news comes a year after Mulakkal was acquitted of charges of raping a nun.
News agency PTI reported that the Vatican had requested his resignation, not as a disciplinary measure but in the best interest of the Jalandhar diocese, which requires a new bishop. Mulakkal stepping down will facilitate the appointment of a new bishop for the diocese.
After the announcement, Mulakkal, in a video, thanked all those who stood with him. “The Pope on Thursday accepted my resignation letter, which I had written after consulting with my superiors. I submit to God all the troubles which I had suffered. Let my tears help the reformation of the Church,” he said.
The stepping down of Mulakkal marks an end to the entire incident that dates back to 2018 when a nun in Kerala’s Kottayam district complained to police that the bishop had repeatedly raped her. We take a look back at what had happened then and what future awaits Mulakkal.
Who is Bishop Franco Mulakkal?
Born in Kerala’s Thrissur district in 1964, Bishop Franco Mulakkal was ordained as a priest in 1990 at the age of 26. In 2009, he became an auxiliary bishop and was later appointed as the bishop of Jalandhar in 2013.
He completed his masters in Arts from Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, Punjab. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Alphonsian Academy in Rome, Italy. Bishop Franco Mulakkal is also the secretary of the Regional Bishops Conference of North India and Consultor for the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
What were the rape charges against Mulakkal?
Franco Mulakkal, however, came to light for an infamous reason.
In June 2018, a nun belonging to the order of Missionaries of Jesus of the Catholic Church filed an FIR against him at Kerala’s Kuravilangad police station, accusing him of raping her and subjecting her to unnatural sex 13 times between 2014 and 2016 at the mission convent in Kuravilangad in Kottayam.
A Special Investigation Team was later formed to look into the charges and on 22 September 2018, Mulakkal was arrested and charged under sections 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 376 (2)(k), 376(2)(n) (rigorous imprisonment for not less than 10 years), 376 C(a) (intercourse by the superintendent of remand home etc), 377 (unnatural offences) and 506(ii) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. With this, he became the first Catholic bishop in India to be arrested for sexually assaulting a nun.
The Vatican, in the meantime, relieved him of his pastoral responsibilities. “The Holy Father has received the request of Rt Rev Bishop Franco Mulakkal to be temporarily relieved of his pastoral responsibilities in the Diocese of Jalandhar,” the Catholic Bishop Conference of India had said in a statement in September 2020.
During the course of investigations and the subsequent trial, another nun also came forward, alleging that Mulakkal had sexually assaulted her between 2015 and 2017. According to news reports, the second nun had then alleged that Mulakkal “tried to grab hold of her at the convent and spoke to her in a sexually explicit manner through a video call”. Moreover, he “forced her to display her body parts”.
A report by News Minute quoted the second nun as saying, “I used to call him regarding issues related to the convent, and it turned into a friendship. Between 2015 and 2017, we used to send messages on WhatsApp, call each other and do video calls. I was only looking for friendship. But by the end of 2015, his remarks became sexual in nature.”
The Bishop denied all of the accusations, which he said were “fabricated”.
Also read: ‘Godmen’ who have been embroiled in sex abuse cases
It was in January last year that the court acquitted Bishop Mulakkal, saying: “When it’s not feasible to separate the truth from the falsehood, the only available course is to discard the evidence.”
After the verdict was readout, Mulakkal had reportedly reacted by saying, “Praise the Lord.”
However, the matter isn’t over as the State has filed an appeal in the high court. It is currently under the purview of the Kerala High Court.
Was this punishment?
Bishop Mulakkal’s resignation comes one-and-a-half years after he was let off by the court. The Apostolic Nunciature (top-level diplomatic mission of the Holy See) in India told news agency PTI was not a disciplinary measure imposed upon him.
Moreover, the church will make sure that it is not an unceremonious exit for the bishop, and he will be permitted to bid an official farewell, reported PTI.
The Save Our Sisters (SOS) movement, another collective which was formed to support the survivor of the alleged sexual assault, explained that Bishop Mulakkal has not been defrocked or prevented from offering sacraments. “He will be allowed to perform all roles of a priest but will not have the bishop’s powers,” said George Joseph, a senior leader of Save Our Sisters (SOS) to The Quint.
The Apostolic Administrator of Jalandhar Diocese Bishop Agnelo Gracias thanked Bishop Mulakkal for all that he has done for the diocese. “We express our appreciation for his decision to resign for the good of the Church and of the Diocese, thereby paving the way for the appointment of a new bishop.”
What next for Mulakkal?
According to reports, Mulakkal will not be staying in the diocese and will live at a retreat centre in Kerala’s Kottayam until the high court delivers its verdict.
With inputs from agencies
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