I’m not leaving: ‘Ousted’ Kerala Catholic Nun

Sister Lucy Kalapurakkal was dismissed from the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) church in Manathavady, Kerala, in August 2019 after receiving clearance from the Vatican for disobeying church authorities.

Last year, sister Kalapurakkal supported the state’s nuns’ strike calling for the arrest of rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who led the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar. Despite the fact that she was asked to leave the convent at the time, she obtained a court order stating that she should not be forced to leave and has remained there ever since.

Speaking to the media on Monday, she stated that she received a letter from her superiors two days ago stating that her appeal to the Vatican had been denied.

How is this possible given that the letter I received was dated May 27, 2020? The Vatican did not even listen to me, which is a violation of natural justice. In a week’s time, I’ll be asked to leave the convent where I’m staying. Sister Kalapurakkal stated, “I am not leaving.” Mulakkal’s troubles began when a nun filed an FIR accusing him of raping her at Kerala’s Kuravilangad church between 2014 and 2016. Mulakkal was arrested following the protest in September and is currently out on bail. Sister Kalapurakkal, on the other hand, became a target of Church authorities after she joined the nuns’ protest against the delay in Mulakkal’s arrest despite the fact that an FIR had been filed against him.

Since then, she had received notices from the church on flimsy charges such as airing her views on TV channels, owning a car, and writing a book. In addition, the Kerala High Court declined to prohibit the nun’s autobiography, Karthavinte Namethil (In the Name of Christ), from being published in December 2019.