Kerala nun rape: Catholic council says 'vested interests' implicating Church, nuns protest not in keeping with Christian values

Kerala Catholic Bishop’s Council (KCBC) has called for an impartial enquiry into the Kerala nun rape case. In a press release, the council said it hopes “full justice takes place in this matter”. Meanwhile, Bishop Franco Mulakkal, arrested on charges of repeatedly raping a nun, was remanded to a 12-day judicial custody on Monday. The KCBC also noted that “now as an accusation of sexual molestation has been raised against a bishop of the Catholic Church, some with vested interests and some sections of the media have taken it as an occasion to implicate the Church and the bishops as a whole, without even having the investigation completed.” [caption id=“attachment_5250831” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Bishop Franco Mulakkal. PTI[/caption] The council called for the whole public to recognise the hidden agenda behind such moves. It went on to say that “it is not clear whether it is jealousy or anger against the Church that leads these people to attack the Church violently, for the Church has been very much active in the public sphere by way of educational, medical and social service.” Taking note of allegations that the nun did not get justice from the Church, the press release said, “The KCBC had also let it known that it had requested the Church authorities to act at the earliest possible upon the complaint registered by the nun. Yet as the complaint of the nun was under the consideration of the police and the court, it was not right from the part of the Church authorities to hastily act upon the same matter.” It said that the argument that the nun did not get justice from the Church “does not stand” because without waiting for the conclusion of the police enquiry, the release added, the Church authority has acted by withholding Mulakkal from the administration of the diocese of Jalandhar. KCBC further said, “Whatever the reasons were, the fact that some priests and nuns agitating in the streets giving occasion to the enemies of the Church to attack the Church and the Church authorities and to disdain even the sacraments, has caused much pain to all who love the Church. “We hope that the members of the Church and the public will recognise that their action was not in keeping with Christian values, rightful interests of the Catholic Church and even of the statutes of their Religious Congregation.”