Expelled Kerala nun writes to Vatican against dismissal from congregation

A Kerala nun has approached the Vatican, the highest seat in the Roman Catholic church hierarchy, against her dismissal from her congregation.

Sister Lucy Kalappura, one of the nuns who protested against rape accused bishop, Franco Mulakkal last year, has written to Congregation of Oriental Churches in the Vatican against her dismissal from Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) and seeks to present her case before Pope Francis

"I be granted an opportunity to present my case to Pope Francis... I rest my firm faith with the Tribunal that I will not be disowned and allowed to be destroyed for being faithful to my calling and responsive to the call of my spiritual conscience," Kalappura stated in the letter.

Sister Lucy was expelled by the FCC in August this year. Earlier, the congregation termed as "grave violations" the nun buying a car on loan, possessing a driving license, publishing a book and spending money without her superiors' permission.

Sister Lucy dismissed the charges, saying many of them were a "deliberate attempt to paint her in bad light."

She now seeks an opportunity to appear in person before a tribunal which would consider her appeal against the Congregation's decision.

"I fervently hope that the honourable members of the Tribunal would appreciate the truth that I am a collateral victim of this Franco Mulakkal scandal, in regard to which the mettle of the Church's commitment to truth and justice is being tested in full public view," her letter read.

In January this year, she was served the first warning letter by the Superior General of the Congregation, followed by two more in February and March for violating the vow of obedience.

Bishop Mulakkal, a senior member of the Roman Catholic clergy in India, was arrested last year following allegations by a nun that he repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted her at a Kuravilangad convent between 2014 and 2016, a charge that he denies.

The prelate is currently out on bail.