Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Franco Mulakkal: Hundreds write to Kerala nun who lost rape case against bishop

Franco Mulakkal: Hundreds write to Kerala nun who lost rape case against bishop

Letters of support have been pouring in for an Indian nun after a bishop she had accused of repeatedly raping her was cleared by a trial court last week.

For the past two days, my social media timeline has been full of handwritten messages of support for the 50-year-old nun who had accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of raping her 13 times between 2014 and 2016.

Most of the posts are from women, including activists, feminists, journalists and celebrities in the southern state of Kerala and many contain hashtags such as #withthenuns and #avalkoppam - a Malayalam-language word which means "with her".

The letters pledge support to "the nun in her fight for justice" - sometimes they just carry words of encouragement or snatches of poetry, or contain drawings and artwork.

"In these dark times, you are that ray of hope to millions," one wrote quoting Emily Dickinson. Another quoted from Still I Rise, Maya Angelou's poem that's become an anthem for feminists across the world.

Many wrote in saying they "believed" her words even though the trial court judge did not.

The accusations of rape against Bishop Franco have made headlines in India. The case shocked one of the country's oldest Christian communities and sparked widespread protests after the nun alleged that the Catholic Church had ignored her complaints.

A powerful priest, Bishop Franco was arrested only in 2018 after a group of nuns sat on a hunger strike outside the Kerala high court. The Vatican temporarily relieved him of his duties. A month later, he was freed on bail.

Over the years, the woman had been shamed on social media and one local politician was chastised by the National Commission for Women after he described her as a "prostitute".

Bishop Franco denied the charges against him and last Friday a trial court in Kottayam city found him not guilty.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) G Gopakumar said there were "exaggerations and embellishments in the statement of the victim" and the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against the bishop. He also spoke of rivalry in the church.

"When it is not feasible to separate truth from falsehood, when grain and chaff are inextricably mixed up, the only available course is to discard the evidence in toto. This court is unable to place reliance on the testimony of the nun... so I acquit the accused," he added.

The case led to unprecedented protests in 2018 as nuns demanded the bishop's arrest


The verdict shocked many, but once the 289-page order became publicly available, it led to massive outrage in India with many pointing out that the judge seemed to be questioning the woman's conduct and moral character.

"When I read the judgement, I was shell shocked. I have only two words to describe it: judicial porn," historian and feminist researcher J Devika told the BBC.

"The order was not just to exonerate the bishop, it was also to demoralise the survivor and the other nuns who had supported her. It contains graphic descriptions of sexual acts and assault as narrated by the nun. The judge even details a breast examination she underwent. What was the need for any of that?" she added.

A former Kerala high court judge called the verdict "a clear case of miscarriage of justice" and many activists and lawyers criticised it for focusing on the woman's conduct.

Many asked if there was an appropriate way for rape victims to behave and the case drew comparisons with the acquittal last year of former magazine editor Tarun Tejpal that led to accusations of victim shaming.

In the case of the Kerala nun too, ASJ Gopakumar asked why she had not stayed back at her sister's home after attending a religious event there but returned to the convent with the accused.

Artist Navami drew this letter of support for Sister X


The Indian Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that in rape cases, the judges must not comment on the behaviour or character of the woman and the only question they should ask is - did the accused commit rape?

"But you get the sense the nun was on trial here," says Ms Devika.

"The judge completely ignored the social setting in which the alleged crime happened. In the church, even the senior-most nun has to defer to the junior-most priest. And Bishop Franco is a very powerful man. But the judge overlooked that power dynamic."

Now as the state readies to appeal against the order in the high court, there has been an outpouring of support for the nun.

"Some of us came together and said let's do something to support her and five other sisters who have been helping her, to keep their morale up," said Athira Sujatha, a public policy professional and activist and one of the organisers of the letter-writing campaign.

On Wednesday morning at 11am - the exact time on Friday when ASJ Gopakumar had pronounced his order in court - Athira posted a letter on Instagram announcing the campaign.

"Your steadfast support to upholding justice by talking truth to power has been an extraordinary feat of hope and courage - not just to the survivor in this particular case but to survivors, bystanders and witnesses everywhere," she wrote.

Within two hours, she told the BBC, they had received about 200 letters. In 24 hours, their numbers had exceeded 1,000. Many others shared their letters on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Many addressed their letters to "Sister X" (the nun) while many expressed gratitude to the "Sisters" - five nuns who have been a pillar of support for her.

Many of them wrote about their personal experiences, saying that the nun's fight had given them the courage to speak out too.

"Girls like me across this seemingly unjust land are praying for you... You are loved, respected and honoured. There 'will' be light at the end of this really dark tunnel," wrote popular singer Chinmayi Sripada.


Filmmaker Geetu Mohandas wrote: "It will by no means be an easy task, but you can, and indeed you will, survive this journey."

One woman drew pencil sketches of the nuns with a message in Malayalam applauding them: "Your courage and persistence is unparalleled. No movement to get justice is a lost cause."

Athira says when they put out the message asking people to mail their letters, they were apprehensive about what sort of letters they would get.

"But we have not received one single negative message. People understand that the sisters need our support and they are all offering encouragement and solidarity."

In her letter written in Malayalam, Ms Devika compared the sisters to fireflies.

"There may be sceptics who say that the fireflies cannot beat the night... Please tell them... If millions of fireflies get together, they may beat this unending night," she wrote.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×