On Tuesday, the Missionaries of Jesus Congregation claimed that the nun who had accused the Bishop was in an ‘illicit relationship’ with one of her relatives, and Bishop Franco was being accused of rape for ‘acting upon the complaint’. In a statement, the Missionaries of Jesus congregation questioned the character of the nun and alleged she had illicit relationship with one of her relatives. It said bringing the real truth in the case was their "moral and divine" responsibility. The agitation by the nuns was part of an agenda to destroy the Church and the congregation, it charged. They said: “Bishop Franco is being accused of rape for acting on a complaint filed by a nun's relative claiming she was having sexual relationship with complainant's husband. Our probe found substance to allegations that the nun was in a relationship with complainant's husband. For nuns losing honour is like death. The victim was seen laughing with the bishop a day after when the rape was supposed to have happened.” Weeks after accusing a Roman Catholic Bishop of raping her, a nun has sought urgent intervention of the Vatican for justice and demanded his removal as the head of the Jalandhar diocese, questioning why the Church was "closing its eyes to the truth" when she mustered courage to make public her sufferings. In a scathing letter to the Vatican that was made available to the media Tuesday, the nun also asked will the Church be able to give back what she has lost. She alleged that Bishop Franco Mulakkal was using "political and money power" to bury the case against him. Noting that she felt the Catholic Church was still doubting her over the argument as to why she allowed the bishop to sexually abuse her multiple times, the nun said she had tremendous fear and shame to bring this out into the open. She also feared 'threats' her family members. Bishop Mulakkal on his part rejected the charges against him as "baseless and concocted" and said he was open for a probe. The bishop also accused the nun of "blackmailing" him. With the protest by various Catholic Reform organisations in Kochi seeking justice for the nun entering the fourth day, the Kerala government said "justice will be done" amid reports that Cardinal Gracias, the President of Catholic Bishops Conference of India, will be raising the alleged rape of the nun with the Holy Pope. As the nun shot off the lengthy letter to Giambattista Diquattro, the Vatican representative in India, the "Missionaries of Jesus", a congregation to which she belongs, came out against her and five other nuns, who are staging a protest seeking justice, accusing them of "spreading blatant lies" against the Bishop. But the protesting nuns rejected the charge and said they will continue their agitation till justice was delivered. In her lengthy letter, the nun also sought to explain her silence before coming out against the bishop and said she had "tremendous fear and shame" and wondered why the church was "closing its eyes to the truth". Senior Kerala minister E P Jayarajan rejected allegations of attempts to sabotage the case and asserted that the probe was proceeding in the "right direction." "A very strong investigation is being carried out in the case. It is proceeding in the right direction. No accused would be allowed to escape the clutches of the law," he told reporters in Kannur. The minister also said there was no pressure on the government in acting against the bishop. In her letter dated September 8, the nun, who has accused the Bishop of rape and having unnatural sex with her multiple times between 2014 and 2016, said she has turned to the Church authorities for justice. She demanded removal of the Jalandhar Bishop from the post, alleging that by continuing in the position, Franco and his close associates "are using the wealth of the diocese to divert" the course of the police investigation. "Seeking your urgent intervention in this case as the representative of the Holy See in India," the nun said. She also alleged that the Bishop and his associates were luring people to take a stand supportive of them by assuring them properties and other forms of wealth. "They are arranging people to attack us and Bishop Franco is using his political power and money to get higher authorities of the investigation and the government to bury legal proceedings that I have filed against him," she charged. Noting she had filed the complaint against the bishop two months ago, the nun claimed even though the Special Investigation Team probing it was convinced of the proofs, they were not able to arrest him because of his political and economic power. "I beg the Church authorities to kindly make a speedy enquiry about this case and remove Bishop Franco from his responsibilities as the spiritual leader of the diocese," the nun said. The nun wondered why the Church was closing its eyes to the "truth when I have mustered courage...." "Your highness, I would like to ask: Will the Church authority -who stand to protect Bishop Franco and safeguard the dignity of the Church by hiding his wickedness- be able to give back what I have lost?" she asked in the letter. Copies of the letter were sent to 21 others, including Cardinal Oswald Gracias and Delhi Metropolitan Archbishop, Anil Couto. "If I am found guilty, which I am not, I am likely to be punished...I will appear before police if I am summoned. I am a law abiding citizen," the Bishop told television channels in Jalandhar. The Kerala priest said he like everybody else had the right to take legal recourse. Terming the allegations against him as "serious", the bishop said only three persons knew the truth. "The complainant's sister, myself and God (know the truth)," he said. The priest also hit out at those protesting against him. "At this moment, whatever is going on is not justifiable. I suffered it silently. This is a time of crisis...I am going through painful agony...I tell everyone to pray to God...let the truth prevail," he said.<doc-sep>A group of protesting nuns from Kerala on Saturday said that they 'will rest' only after a bishop accused of sexually abusing a senior nun is questioned and arrested. Kochi: A group of protesting nuns from Kerala on Saturday said that they "will rest" only after a bishop accused of sexually abusing a senior nun is questioned and arrested. Speaking to the media, one of the five nuns who along with hundreds of people are protesting said, "We will not rest and we will not be happy till he is questioned and arrested." The nun's remarks comes after reports have surfaced that the accused, Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Jalandhar, was handing over his charge. Another nun said that Bishop Franco was very powerful and cannot be underestimated. "We will continue the protest and will not stop till Bishop Franco is arrested." On Thursday, the bishop got a breather from the Kerala High Court which said that "arrest is not the issue" and expressed satisfaction in the ongoing probe. The nun has accused Mulakkal of repeatedly sexually abusing her between 2014 and 2016. There are five other nuns of the same congregation who has supported her claim. An FIR was registered against the bishop and a 114-page detailed statement was taken from her and other inmates of the convent. However, Mulakkal has denied any wrongdoing and termed it a conspiracy hatched against him.<doc-sep>The Diocese of Jalandhar (where the accused bishop is posted) has accused the nun of playing vendetta against him and has questioned her motives. (Photo: Reuters) The Diocese of Jalandhar has come out in support of a bishop who is accused of raping a nun in Kerala on multiple occasions between 2014 and 2016. This comes on a day when the police told the Kerala High Court that its preliminary investigations reveal that the bishop abused his position and raped the nun on multiple occasions. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Diocese of Jalandhar (where the accused bishop is posted) has questioned the nun's motives and has termed her complaint as vendetta. Kerala nun rape case: Top 10 developments 1. In a statement, the Diocese of Jalandhar has accused the nun of vendetta, saying she targeted the bishop because he reportedly started an investigation against her. The Church body has claimed that the bishop had ordered an internal probe against the nun in 2016, after a woman complained to Church authorities that the nun was having an affair with her husband. ALSO READ | Withdraw rape case, will give you land and safety: Kerala priest threatens nun 2. In its statement, the Church body has claimed that the bishop wasn't staying at the Kerala convent on the day (May 5, 2014) when the nun says she was raped for the first time. The body claimed that though the bishop was in Kurivialangad, Kerala, he didn't stay at the convent. 3. The statement questions the nun's complaint by claiming that she was seen "happily talking" to the bishop at a family function a day after, and was "arranging lunch" for him. The Church said it has submitted video recording of this to the police. 4. The Church has asserted that according to Church rules, a nun can't meet a man without the presence of two other women. And so, the body declares, it couldn't have been possible for the nun to have met the bishop 13 times in his room. The statement also asked why the nun did not approach the police when she was first raped. ALSO READ | She is a prostitute: Kerala MLA PC George on nun seeking arrest of rape accused 5. The accused bishop has also claimed that the allegations against him are part of a conspiracy against the Church. "I feel there are people who are against the Church. They are using these sisters. This is a conspiracy and several people are taking advantage of the situation; they are putting sisters at the forefront," the bishop told news agency ANI. 6. Meanwhile, in an affidavit submitted in the Kerala High Court, the Kerala Police has said that investigations reveal that the bishop raped the nun on multiple occasions. "During the course of investigation so far and the available evidences, it is revealed that the accused bishop committed unnatural offence and committed rape repeatedly, on different dates from May 05, 2014 to September 09, 2016, against the will and consent of her [the nun] by abusing his dominance over her as bishop of Jalandhar," the affidavit submitted before the court read (It apparently had a typo in it and the dates read as May 05, 2018 to September 09, 2016). 7. A high-level meeting chaired by the Kerala Director General of Police is scheduled to be held today. The police will decide whether the accused bishop should be summoned for questioning in this case. Police sources say the police are likely to give him a week's time to appear for questioning. WATCH | Why is Kerala government silent on nun rape case? 8. On Monday, the Kerala High Court pulled up the state government and the police and asked them to submit a report on the investigation of the case. 9. Nuns in Kerala have been protesting against the police for their alleged laxity in probing the case. They have accused the Church of high-handedness. On Saturday, during a protest the nuns said the Church authorities and the state government have let them down. 10. On Sunday, PC George, a seven-time MLA, called the rape survivor a prostitute and questioned her motives. "No one has doubt that the nun is a prostitute. Twelve times she enjoyed it and the 13th time it is rape? Why didn't she complain the first time? [sic]," he said. WATCH | Kerala nun rape case: Latest developments<doc-sep>Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal. (Express Photo/File) Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal. (Express Photo/File) On the day the Kerala police issued a notice to the rape accused Bishop of Jalandhar Diocese, Franco Mulakkal, to appear before it on September 19, Franco issued a circular here delegating Monsignor Mathew Kokkandum to administer the activities of Diocese in his absence. The circular from Bishop dated September 13, 2018, mentioned: “…as you have probably come to know from the media the investigation into the allegations raised against me as there are several contradictions in the evidences collected against me as per the report of the police and it is reported that I am likely to be called for further clarifications by the investigating officer in Kerala. In my absence Msgr. Mathew Kokkandam will administer the diocese as in the normal practice when I am away from the diocese”. Father Mathew Kokkandam is currently head of St. Francis church in Amritsar district. Read this story in Malayalam Church sources in the Doaba region said that such circulars are routinely issued by the Bishop when he goes out of the jurisdiction of his diocese for some days or weeks. “He has not resigned from his post nor has he made anyone the officiating Bishop. He has only appointed a senior member of the clergy to look after the activities of diocese in his absence,” the source said. “This circular also establishes that Bishop is going to Kerala to join the investigation,” he said. Bishop House PRO Father Peter did not respond to phone calls or messages sent to him. Also read | Church outs photo of victim who accused Bishop of rape The Bishop had personally received the Kerala Police summons on Friday evening. It was delivered to him by the Jalandhar Police Commissionerate on behalf of Kerala police. Bishop Franco has to appear before Kerala police on September 19 for further investigations. He told The Indian Express earlier that he will go to Kerala if the police asked him to join the investigation there. According to this circular Bishop had also appointed Father Joseph Thekkumkattil as head of Tanda Deanery located in Hoshiapur district and Father Subin Thekkedathu as Parochial Vicar, St. Mary’s Church Tanda. He has also raised the annual travelling allowances of priests from Rs. 5000 from January 2019 and mess allowances to Rs. 6000/ month from this September.<doc-sep>
Nuns from Kerala are seeking justice for a fellow nun who had accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the Jalandhar diocese of raping her multiple times in two years. The Missionaries of Jesus congregation on Monday condemned the protest by five nuns in Kerala, who are seeking justice for a fellow nun who had accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the Jalandhar diocese of raping her multiple times in two years. The congregation also called the nun's allegations against the bishop "baseless" and said they "cannot crucify an innocent". #BREAKING | Congregation condemns protests by Kerala nuns against Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who’s accused of rape. Congregation says, allegations against Bishop are baseless, ‘cannot crucify an innocent soul.’ | @Neethureghu with details | #KeralaChurchSins pic.twitter.com/lZsY0aJEon — News18 (@CNNnews18) September 10, 2018 On Saturday, the five nuns had also accused top police officials of trying to sabotage the investigation into the case. The protesting nuns from a convent in Kottayam denounced the reported move to hand over the inquiry against Bishop Mulakkal to the Crime Branch. However, Kerala Director General of Police Loknath Behera said there was no move at present to hand over the investigation to the Crime Branch. He added that he has directed the Ernakulam Range inspector general, Vijay Sakhare, to complete the investigation as quickly as possible. The nuns also alleged that police officers were trying to delay the investigation to shield Mulakkal. "We have full faith in the investigation being carried out by the Deputy Superintendent of Police. But the top police officials are not permitting him to carry out a free and fair investigation. They are delaying the probe and trying to sabotage the case," one of the nuns said. In her complaint lodged with the Kottayam district police, the nun accused Bishop Mulakkal of raping and having unnatural sex with her 13 times between 2014 and 2016 at a convent in Kuruvalangadu near Kottayam in Kerala. A case was registered on 28 June. A special team looking into the case said that according to the preliminary investigation, Mulakkal had abused his position as the bishop and repeatedly raped the nun. Responding to a petition seeking a speedy investigation, Deputy Superintendent of Police Vaikom K Subhash had informed the Kerala High Court on 13 August that the probe was proceeding effectively and impartially. Meanwhile, members of various Catholic reformation organisations continued their protest on Sunday against the alleged laxity in the investigation into the nun's rape complaint. The five protesting nuns had taken part in the demonstration on Saturday and said they were fighting for the victim, who was denied justice by the C, government and the police. "We are ready to go to any extent to ensure justice for our sister," a nun had told protesters, who held placards demanding Mulakkal's arrest. She had sought to know why the Jalandhar bishop had not been arrested despite "sufficient evidence" against him and also questioned the Church's stand on the matter. The nun pointed out that 74 days had passed since the complaint was filed against Mulakkal. The nuns also decided to initiate legal action against an Independent MLA who had maligned the complainant. While addressing a press conference in Kottayam on Saturday, Poonjar MLA PC George had called her a prostitute and sought to know why she had not filed a complaint during the initial stages of sexual misbehaviour by the bishop. National Commission for Women chief Rekha Sharma also lashed out at George over his derogatory comments and demanded strict action against the lawmaker. With inputs from agencies