August 19, 2019
Sister Lucy, a nun in Kerala who was expelled by her
congregation for disciplinary reasons over a controversy over the alleged
rape of another nun has appealed to the Catholic Church in Rome for justice.
Sister Lucy has alleged that she is being targeted for participating in
protests against a senior Catholic priest who is accused of rape,
Bishop Franco Mulakkal.
The nun has been relieved of all services by the Franciscan Clarist
Congregation and has told the media that she is afraid.
I’m very afraid. They are killing me little by little, trying to take away
all my happiness. My colleagues in the convent keep smiling, talking among
themselves. They have completely isolated me. They don’t even ask me to
join them to eat or anything. I have come to terms with it, but it’s still
very hard. – Sister Lucy
Sister Lucy plans to seek legal help as well.
The congregation says it expelled her for dress code violations, buying a
car, disobeying authorities, publishing a book and bringing out a music CD.
The nun says her car should be seen as a means to do her responsibilities
better. She said she had been able to visit many poor patients and people in
their houses. “When I go to school, I also take underprivileged children in
my car and drop them off. I have not done anything wrong. It’s the perception
of others, of the other nuns, that is a problem,” said Sister Lucy, who also
teaches mathematics in a neighbourhood school to NDTV.
Sister Lucy has alleged that she has been expelled for opposing the former
bishop of Jalandhar Mulakkal, who is accused of raping a nun 13 times between
2014 and 2016. “The congregation targeted me because I supported the nun who
was fighting for justice”, she says.
The bishop is now out on bail, and the case against him is being heard in a
Kerala court.
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/kerala-nun-seeks-justice-from-the-vatican
