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.
