Make Justice a Habit

Photo Credit: Photo by rgaleria (Unsplash)

Franco Mulakkal, a Catholic bishop in India, was acquitted in a historic sexual assault trial last week. He had been accused of numerous assaults of a nun over two years. The New York Times wrote that this case is likely the first of its kind and notes that "the church was slow to react" and only responded after several nuns publicly protested and staged a hunger strike in support of the accuser. This case in India has highlighted a largely invisible issue: sexual violence against nuns.

What's happening in India. The nun made her first report about Bishop Franco Mulakkal to church officials in January of 2017. She talked to various authority figures, including Vatican representatives. Her family told the police that the assaults occurred at the St. Francis Mission Home in Kerala, India, between 2014 and 2016. In 2018, the church stripped the bishop of administrative duties, and not long after, he was arrested and temporarily detained. In April 2019, the bishop was charged with nine counts of rape. The trial started in 2020 and concluded last week when the bishop was acquitted of all charges.

The Pope has acknowledged this problem.
As this case was under review in India in 2019, Pope Francis acknowledged that the Catholic Church was aware that some priests had sexually abused nuns and "in one case they were kept as sex slaves." Pope Francis affirmed that the Catholic Church was working to address the problem. Nuns have blamed a "culture of silence and secrecy" for inhibiting transparency and stifling their voices. There are reports of sexual abuse of nuns around the world: the Associated Press documented allegations across Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America, and the BBC detailed specific cases in France and Chile.

Make justice a habit.
In determining that the bishop should be acquitted, Judge G Gopakumar said that the nun was not a "sterling witness" and was "swayed under the influence of others who had vested interests in the matter." The police chief who oversaw the case disagreed entirely, saying that he "fully expected a conviction." According to the Guardian, the Kerala government has stated that it will appeal the verdict. The nuns leading the campaign for justice have not given up hope. One told reporters at the courthouse that they would "continue this fight until the day our fellow sister gets justice."

Stand #WithTheNuns. A previous issue of The Friday Brief, "Super Nuns Fight Back," covered the Talitha Kum, a group of Catholic nuns who help survivors of human trafficking. That's just one of many examples of their collective good works and positive impacts on society. Now, the public has the opportunity to stand up for them on social media and through a new letter-writing campaign. Handwritten "Dear Sister" letters are pouring into Kerala and being posted on social media. You can read the letters of support and share your message with the hashtag, #WithTheNuns.