Sister Lucy Kalapura, the nun from the Syro Malabar Church who had led the protests against rape-accused Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal has been asked to vacate the convent within one week by the Franciscan Clarist Congregation Superior General in Ernakulam.
The decision to evict her from the convent was issued just a day after the “Apostolica Signatura” – the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church rejected her appeal against her congregation’s decision to strip her of sisterhood after her protest against rape-accused ex-Bishop Franco Mulakkal.
Kerala: Franciscan Clarist Congregation Superior General in Ernakulam orders Sister Lucy Kalapura to vacate the convent within one week.
— ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2021
Sister Lucy Kalapura had participated in the protest against rape accused former Bishop Franco Mulakkal.
This decision from this powerful Catholic body ensures that Sister Lucy has now been dismissed from the Church with finality.
Ever since sister Lucy decided to take on Bishop Franco who belongs to the Jalandhar diocese, the Church alledgely started to indulge in a smear campaign her.
In August 2019, Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) expelled Sister Lucy on the charges of indiscipline and failing to give a satisfactory explanation’ for her lifestyle ‘in violation of rules.’.
Using all its power and influnce the FCC forced her to withdraw two cases she had filed against the convent and also made sure she submitted a unconditional apology if she wanted to continue staying in the convent.
Sister Lucy last year, also had alleged that she was being deprived of basic necessity like food by the Church as part of a plan to expel her from her convent.
Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal who belongs to the Jalandhar diocese, is facing a police investigation for allegedly raping a nun at a Kottayam convent 13 times and after the victim’s complaint in June 2018, more nuns had come forward and accused Mulakkal of sexual misconduct.
Even though Mulakkal was taken off his pastoral duties at the Jalandhar Diocese in Punjab, it ensured he received all the support from Church leadership and the Church has stood by him. However the nuns who came out to protest against the powerful Catholic Church now face backlash from Church officials.
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