 "Kerala nun rape case: Syro Malabar Church targets senior priest blaming Franco Mulakkal; activists condemn action")
The Syro Malabar Church in Kerala has received widespread condemnation from the Christian community for doubling down on a senior priest who has been a staunch critic of a bishop accused of raping a nun.
On 12 November, Father Augustine Vattoly of Ernakulam-Angamaly Syro Malabar found himself in the eye of a storm after the church shot a letter blaming him for neglecting divine duties. The letter also warned him to stay away from a 14 November protest aimed to gather broader support for the nun.
The letter threatened to take punitive action against Father Vattoly for allegedly failing to perform his divine duties regularly. The priest was told to respond to the allegations by 25 November, or else face disciplinary action.
The letter sent by the church read: “It is reported that you celebrate Holy Qurbana only rarely and that your public expression of priestly prayer life and faith is in question. Daily celebration of Divine office and Qurbana is strongly encouraged by ecclesiastical norms. It is reported that you are not commemorating the name of the Major Archbishop in the Divine Liturgy and in the Divine praises as per CCEOc91. Its violation is punishable in accordance with the Canon Law."
[caption id=“attachment_5248691” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Bishop Franco Mulakkal being taken to court. PTI[/caption]
“In your speeches and activities, you are reported to have incited sedition and hatred against ecclesiastical authorities and you are closely associating with anti-ecclesial, extremist and atheistic groups. Some of them are said to be groups which have plotted against the church.”
“Some of your activities are said to be refusal of subjection to the authority of the church and of communion with the hierarchy and faithful. The activities are offences in the Catholic Church as per the Canon Law.”
While Father Vattoly has responded to the charges, it is learnt that the church authorities are planning to take further action against him.
Under fire
However, the fiasco hasn’t gone down well in large sections of the Christian community, who believe that the church has launched a witch hunt against Father Vattoly.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe Archdiocesan Movement for Transparency (AMT) has put its weight behind Father Vattoly, warning that the matter may snowball unless the Syro Malabar Church takes a step back.
Shyju Antony, the convener of AMT, felt that the apostolic administrator should “wind up” the issue because there was “no need to issue a notice to Father Vattoly”.
Antony also warned of conducting “large protests” if the matter wasn’t put to bed. The convener saw no wrong in Father Vattoly attending the 14 November protest meet that aimed to seek justice in the nun rape case.
“Pope Francis had issued ‘Letter to the People of God’, in which he said that the church must take serious action in sexual abuse-related cases. Father Vattoly was actually obeying the Pope’s direction,” Antony said.
The Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace (FORUM) also voiced its displeasure against the church, stating: “When the members of the church come to know that something is rotten, don’t they have the right to protest? Freedom of expression is the fundamental right of every Indian citizen.”
Former spokesperson of Syro Malabar Church, Dr Paul Thelekkatt, was of the opinion that the church had come under pressure “from certain elements in the church to issue a notice” to Father Vattoly.
Heaping praise on Father Vattoly for getting “involved in social issues in a very praiseworthy manner”, Dr Thelekkatt didn’t think that the senior priest would be punished further because “it is justice he is fighting for”.
Church’s ire
The Syro Malabar Church took a dim view of Father Vattoly because he spearheaded a Save Our Sisters (SOS) action meet, which was set up to intensify protests against Bishop Franco Mulakkal — the accused bishop in the nun rape case.
The SOS meet demanded that the bail granted to Jalandhar Bishop Franco be cancelled. It also sought a probe into the death of Father Kuriakose Kattuthara, who was a witness against the bishop.
Sixty three-year-old Kattuthara was found dead in his residence in Dasuya, a town close to Jalandhar in north Punjab.
Bishop Franco was arrested on 21 September on the suspicion of raping a 45-year-old nun 13 times between 2014 and 2016.
Pope Francis had suspended him a day before he was arrested.
Fifty three-year-old Mulakkal has refuted the rape allegations and called it part of a conspiracy plotted by those who want to see the reputation of the church get sullied.
The nun had made he allegations in June. But the police initiated formal questioning in September, only after it received huge public backlash.
Five nuns also took part in the protest against police inaction, which was a rare show of dissent in the catholic church.
The nuns raised the hackles of some of the senior members of the church. Some senior members also took to the streets to show their support for the accused bishop.
Eviction pressure
Weeks after the fault lines came out in public, the nuns — including the one who has accused the bishop of rape — are facing immense pressure to remain at the convent in Kuravilangad.
The police have planned to step up security for the nuns, though the Mother Superior of the Missionaries in Jesus (MJ) said they had no further money to arrange for additional security.
The Mother Superior gave the nuns an option to move to a government shelter, but that has been turned down by them.
The nuns say: “Church authorities are trying to throw us out from the Kuravilangad convent. But we are not ready to move from here.”
Days after the nuns held a protest march against the accused bishop, some organisations loosely associated with the catholic church started demanding the nuns’ ouster from the convent.
One such organisation was the Changanassery-based Catholic Federation of India. The president of the Federation — PP Joseph — was hacked off by the protesting nuns. He felt that the nuns were being manipulated by those against the church, anti-social elements and some terrorist groups.
The Federation also accused the nuns of staying at the convent without the necessary permission from the Missionaries of Jesus.
The catholic church in India has been beset by reported misdemeanors of its clergymen and senior members in recent months. Earlier in July, two priests were arrested for raping and blackmailing a woman for over 20 years.
The author is a member of The NewsCart, a Bengaluru-based media startup.
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