Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Franco Mulakkal, the controversial bishop of Jalandhar, accused of sexual misconduct by a nun in his diocese. The bishop’s resignation signals a partial victory for those who had demanded his outright removal from office in an unprecedented public protest in Kochi for the better part of September 2018.
Those who participated in the protest included a group of nuns from a religious order founded in the Jalandhar Latin diocese, as well as reform-minded leaders of the Church, priests, and lay people.
A communication on Thursday from the Vatican ambassador in Delhi said that Pope Francis accepted the resignation. The letter underlined that the Holy See respected the verdict of the Additional District and Sessions Court, Kottayam, acquitting bishop Mulakkal of the crime as well as the appeal against the acquittal which has been admitted by the Kerala High Court.
The communication said, however, “given the still divisive situation about the aforesaid matter in the Diocese of Jalandhar, resignation has been requested from bishop Mulakkal not as a disciplinary measure imposed upon him, but as a pro bono ecclesiae (for the good of the church), especially for the good of the Diocese which needs a new bishop”.
The Vatican ambassador’s letter went on to say that bishop Mulakkal is bishop Emeritus of Jalandhar, which does not imply canonical restrictions on his ministry.
In a video, the bishop thanked those who stood with him during his difficult time. “May our sufferings and pains and the tears I have shed before the Almighty be the reason for the renewal of the Church, the strengthening of faith, my own sanctification, and the glory of God,” the bishop said.
Arrest in 2018
In September 2018, the Kerala Police arrested bishop Mulakkal on charge of raping a nun multiple times between 2014 and 2016. According to reports, the bishop was interrogated by the police for three days before the arrest. The police had claimed that there was enough evidence against the bishop.
“This is only a partial victory and a warning to people in position and power in the Church against misconduct,” said senior Catholic priest Fr. Augustine Vattoli on Thursday. He said the bishop has been brought before the civil court, which will pass its verdict. Until that time, the resignation of the bishop was not a cause for great celebration. Fr. Vattoli was part of the public protest in Kochi in September 2018.
The Catholic nuns who had participated in the protest in Kochi did not comment on Thursday’s development.
Pope’s decision hailed
But the Joint Christian Council, a forum calling for drastic changes in the way the Church is administered and calling for transparency, said that Pope Francis had made a historic decision in accepting the resignation of bishop Mulakkal. His resignation is needed for the good of the Church, said the council leaders. The Council was instrumental in floating the Save Our Sisters forum, which spearheaded the Kochi protest.
A Church source said the considering the bishop’s service to the diocese, he will be permitted to bid an official farewell. The source added that though he was bishop Emeritus of Jalandhar, he would not be staying in the diocese. He would stay in a retreat centre at Kottayam till the High Court gave its verdict on the appeal filed by the nun against the trial court verdict in the rape case.
(With inputs from PTI)
