Kerala nun rape case: Franco Mulakkal resigns as Jalandhar bishop

Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal, who was accused in a rape case filed by a nun in Kerala, has resigned from his duties. His resignation was requested by the Catholic church authorities.

The statement released by the Apostolic Nunciature specified that though the Pope respected the verdict of the additional district sessions court in Kottayam, which had acquitted the Mulakkal of rape charges, given the divisive nature of the matter, the bishop was being asked to resign. “The resignation has been requested from Rv. Mulakkal not as a disciplinary measure imposed on him, but for the good of the diocese which needs a new bishop,” read the statement.  

He will now be known as Franco Mulakkal, Bishop Emeritus of Jullundur.

In a video statement, Mulakkal stated that Pope Francis had accepted his letter of resignation as Jalandhar Bishop, which he had written after discussions with his seniors. He then thanked all the diocese members who stood by him during this period.

Mulakkal, 57, of the Jalandhar Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, was accused of raping a nun, who belonged to the Missionaries of Jesus congregation, on 13 occasions between between 2014 and 2016 during his visits to Kerala. The nun filed a complaint to the church in June 2017 about the rape, but when no action was taken, she approached the police.

A complaint was filed against him in June 2018 in Kerala and Mulakkal was arrested on September 21, 2018 on rape charges. After he was arrested, he was relieved of his pastoral duties at the Diocese of Jalandhar. The decision was taken by Pope Francis in response to a letter written by Bishop Mulakkal on September 16, said a statement by Oswald Cardinal Gracias, the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI). In June 2022, he returned to pastoral duties.

However, he was granted bail on October 16, 2018. He, then, approached the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court to quash the FIR against him, but both the courts refused to do so.

The additional district and sessions court judge G Gopakumar in Kottayam had acquitted the Bishop in January 2022 after 100 days of trial, stating that the prosecution had failed to produce evidence against him. This is despite complainant and the witnesses not changing their statements.

The court acquitted Mulakkal citing various reasons, including “the victim's inconsistent version of incidents and lack of corroborative evidence to prove the prosecution case.” The prosecution then had stated that there were minor differences in the survivor’s testimonies and the judge had discredited her versions.