Survivor's Letter to Papal Envoy on Her Experience
TODAY · PUBLIC
From: Sr. (name and address withheld to conceal identity)Kerala, India
To: The Apostolic Nuncio His Ex. Most Rev. Giambattista Diquattro Apostolic Nunciature 50 –C Niti Marg, Chanakyapuri New Delhi - 110021
Your Highness,
I am Sr.(name concealed), who joined the congregation of Missionaries of Jesus in 1994 and did my first profession in the year 1999 in Jalandhar while our founder father Late Bp.Symphorian Keeprath was the bishop of Jalandhar diocese. I took my final vows before him in the year 2004. I have completed 19 years in this congregation as a professed sister. I have been Superior General of the congregation since 2004 for 3 years by the appointment of the founder. Then in 2007, I was elected as Superior General till 2013. Throughout these years and to date I have been sincere to my call and have dedicated my life to Jesus by building up our congregation and fulfilling its mission. In the year 2013 July, I was appointed as the superior of .... home at Kuravilangad. I am still a member of St. Francis Mission Home, Kerala.
I write this letter as a victim of sexual abuse who is seeking justice. In the month of June 2017, I met Rev. Fr. Joseph Thadathil the Parish Priest of Kuravilangad Church and also Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt the Bishop of Palai Diocese. I have explained to them about the sexual exploitation that I suffered from Bp. Franco from 2014 to 2016 and his continued torture through various means from the time I took courage and resisted him. That was the reason why I thought of leaving the congregation silently in May 2017. But the love and concern of my sisters and the prayers and advise of few Bishops and many priests stopped me from that. When I submitted my application for dispensation, all my four community members were ready to leave the congregation along with me and many others expressed to me their desire to leave Jalandhar Diocese and live in any other place with me as MJ sisters. Since I could not see the destruction of the congregation by loosing so many vocations, I canceled my application for dispensation.
Under the direction of Bishop Kallarangatt and Bishop Vadakkel, Bishop of Ujjain diocese, I have given a letter to Cardinal Mar George Alencherry, the head of the Syro Malabar Church through Bishop Vadakkel by hand, on 11.07.2017. I had also given the same letter to Bp. Vadakkel explaining my sufferings and that of other MJ sisters under Bishop Franco Mulackal. On 23.11.2017 I met Cardinal Mar George Alencherry personally and told him all that I have faced from Bishop Franco. And in December 2017, since Bishop Franco was planning to trap me and my companion sister with a police case in Jalandhar, during a telephonic 2 conversation I appealed to the Cardinal to arrange an appointment with the Nuncio so that I may explain my pain and misery. But I did not get any positive response from the Church authority in Kerala. In the same way, earlier in the same year Bishop Vadakkel assured me over phone that he will arrange a chance for me to meet the Nuncio personally when the Nuncio comes to Kochi in the month of October 2017. But he did not arrange that meeting either. Therefore on 28.01.2018, I have personally sent a letter to your Highness in which I have clearly mentioned about the complaint against Bp Franco of rape , sexual exploitation, mental torture and the police complaint that he had filed against me in Punjab Police . This letter was handed over to you by Bishop Kurian Valiayakandathil , the Bishop of Bhagalpur at the time CBCI meeting in Bangalore .
After having waited for five months, I did not receive any reply from your office. Therefore on 14.05.2018, I have sent letters to three Church Officials in Rome by courier and on tracking it, we realized that they have received it on 18.05.2018. These letters were to Most Rev. Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaia Ferrer S.J, Prefetto Congreegazione Dotrina, Della Fede, 00120Citta Del Vaticano; S. EM.ZA Reverndissima,Ouellet Card. Marc P.S.S,Prefetto Congreegazione Per I Vescovi,00120 Citta Del vaticano and to Pope Francis, 00120 Citta Del vaticano. There after I waited more than a month and I have not received any reply beside the delivery receipt of the DHL courier. I have made one more attempt on 22.06.2018 to the State Secretary, Most. Rev. Cardinal Pietro Parolin Segretario di statto 00120 Vatican City, which was received there on 25.06.2018.
Though Bishop Franco had sexually abused me several times, I could not reveal to my Superior General or to her Councilors the full story. I only told them repeatedly that Bishop is taking many disciplinary actions through them just because I resisted to lie down with him. As they failed to understand even the seriousness of these words, I could not tell them more than this. And I had the fear that Bishop Franco may harm me with the support of my superiors. The loss of vocations from the Missionaries of Jesus during the last five years (20 sisters have left) prove that the congregational leadership has no solution for the problems faced by the sisters. The leadership team of the MJ sisters have only depended on Bishop Franco for all their problems. Since I was one of the senior most in the congregation I could not speak openly to any of my sisters.
Bishop Franco had always an eagle's eye on few other MJ sisters as well. Whichever sister Bishop Franco felt attraction to, he tried to put them in his trap by force or taking advantage of their weaknesses. In this matter I can place a simple example of April 2017. One of our young sisters who had a close contact with Bishop Franco was caught by the authority with specific proofs for a serious error in the place where this sister was rendering her service. Then Bishop Franco asked our superiors to send her to another state where we have more than 3 communities, to a place where only junior sisters were there. Then in the same week itself Bishop Franco made a special visit to this community and stayed there overnight. At night till 12 pm, this sister was alone in his room for 'spiritual direction'. His unusual night stay in that community raised a 3 serious question in all most all the MJ sisters. For me the question is why Bishop Franco had an extraordinary sympathy for this sister when he has failed to express genuine concern for the many sisters who left the congregation for lack of understanding from the authority. Even he tried his level best to free this sister from facing any disciplinary action and appointing her to a place where he could easily contact her any time. On knowing the consequences, nobody dared to ask about this publically. In this manner we can get many more examples from Jalandhar Diocese and the sisters of the diocese if the Church authority makes a truthful investigation.
We hid the above mentioned case from the investigation officers, because we know that in order to destroy this sisters' image and close her mouth forever, Bishop Franco and his close associates may play any dirty game on this sister. Anyone daring to resist him has to face strong consequences, He has even instigated our own Superior General and Team members and few priests of the diocese to speak against me and the sisters who support me for justice. Their accusation is that all this is a game that I play for pleasing a few priests of the diocese of Jalandhar who are against Bishop Franco.
I would like to bring to your notice the few attempts made by Bp Franco to hook us in different police cases. On 30 November 2017, I received a call from the ASI Mr. Amrik Singh (07973428828) that the Punjab police has received a complaint against Sr. Anupama MJ and myself of having threatened ishop Franco that we would commit suicide. This case was filed by Fr. Peter Kavumpuram, the PRO of the Diocese of Jalandhar. I reported about the police enquiry to my Superior General, but there was no response. While we were patiently waiting for some signs of intervention from Church authorities, on 19.06.2018 Bishop Franco filed a police complaint to Punjab police against my brother Mr. Darwin, again by the PRO of Jalandhar Diocese. In his complaint he falsely accused my brother of having threatened Bishop Franco that he would murder him.
And on 23.06.2018 Bishop Franco filed a case again through his PRO to Kottayam Superintendent of Police. In this case, he has accused six people including the family members of the five MJ sisters who stood with me in my struggle and the taxi driver, whose car we hire for travelling. These five sisters came into the picture because they are staying along with me in the Kuravilangad community, they support me and demand justice for me. The complaint was the same as they have given in Punjab against my brother on 19.06.2018.
On seeing all these police cases against us and our family members by the Jalandhar authorities, we were shocked and frightened . Therefore we spoke to the Archbishop Anil Couto, Metropolitan, Delhi Region during his visit to our community in Kuravilangad in May 2018, and later over phone and narrated our mental agony and struggle. Then he gave us the e-mail ID of Apostolic Nuncio and asked us to write to your Highness. On 24.06.2018, the same night itself at 11.45 pm, we send an urgent mail to your Highness along with the news paper clippings the 4 PRO had given in different news papers . We thought that your Highness may ask Bishop Franco to stop his legal proceeding against our family members till the Church makes its enquiry about the truth of the matter. However, on realizing that the Church authorities are blind towards my plea for justice and truth, we had no other option than to approach the police in our search for justice and for our safety and that of our family members. Therefore on 28-06-2018, I filed a case against Bishop Franco forwarding the same complaint that I have given to your Highness in the month of January 2018.
In the proceedings of this case so far, it is clearly visible how Bp Franco is trying to manipulate the investigation with wrong information and with his money, political power and support from other ecclesiastical authorities.
• On hearing about the police case that I filed against Bp. Franco, his initial stand was that I have taken such steps in reaction to the disciplinary actions he has taken against me. He took advantage of a complaint that a family member wrote against me to my superior General in the context of a conflict, and he used it as a weapon to divert police attention from the real crime. Only on later investigation by the police, it was proved that the complaint of that family member was a fabricated story and there is no truth in that complaint.
• When Fr. James Aerthayil CMI approached us three times and assured us of a huge reward of 10 acres of land and a convent in Kanjirapally Diocese, Kerala, on condition that we withdraw our complaint against Bp. Franco, this CMI priest acknowledged the hand of Jalandhar Diocese in this deal. Even though the investigating officers got concrete evidence of the attempts made by Jalandhar diocesan authorities to pressurize us to withdraw the complaint against Bp. Franco, the police could not go ahead with a proper investigation on this as they realized that there are many other personalities with power behind this move.
• In the different cases Bishop Franco has filed in Punjab and Kerala against me and the family members of other sisters, he has used false evidence to support his position. The Jalandhar authorities compelled Mr. Sijoy from my parish, who is also the brother of a close associate of the Bishop to write against my brother that he plans to murder Bishop Franco. For this Mr. Sijoy was called to Punjab by Air but later he confessed the truth to the police.
• While the case was in its initial stage, in an interview to a leading TV channel, Bishop Franco said that he was waiting for the police team to arrive in Jalandhar so that he can reveal the truth. However, finally when the police did arrive in Jalandhar and reached the Bishop's House after questioning different people on different days, he tried to escape with the help of Punjab Police. But on realizing that the investigation officers were adamant to meet him on the same day, Punjab police called Bp. Franco back after four hours. They pretended that Bishop Franco was in Chandigarh though he was in some place around Jalandhar. Late in the evening when Bishop Franco came back to meet the investigation team, the media people were attacked by his personal security staff at the Bishop's house, though they were in the midst of Punjab police.
• During the police investigation, Bishop Franco made many contradictory statements and denied his stay in Kuravilangad though it was clearly recorded in the chronicle of the convent and attested by the statement of the driver who brought him. Bishop Franco then arranged a sister from the Sacred Heart sister's convent at Muthalakodam to give false evidence about his stay in their convent on those days. But the investigation team found the truth from the sister who later admitted that she was asked to tell a lie. Their house chronicle also revealed the truth.
• As per the Indian Penal Code, the medical report of the victim and a complaint under the Section 164 in the Code of Criminal Procedure before the Magistrate itself is sufficient enough to proceed with the case. In the report that the investigation officer DSP K. Subash submitted to the honourable High Court on 10.08.2018, it is clearly mentioned that " the investigation so far conducted and the available evidence collected so far, it is revealed that the accused Bishop Franco committed unnatural offence and committed rape repeatedly on different dates from 05.05.2018 to 23.09.2016 on Sr..... (name withheld) against the will and consent of her by abusing his dominance over her as Bishop of Jalandhar after confining her in the guest room No. 20 of St. Francis Mission Home Kuravilangad."(copy of the same attached). But our plight is that even after completing 72 days of investigation in this case, Bishop Franco is functioning freely with all his privileges as he enjoys extraordinary protection from the higher officials of the Police and the State Government. The silence and inaction on the part of the authorities of the Catholic Church in India is adding to the impunity that he enjoys before the law of the land.
Ever since we filed this case we remain cut off from the mainstream of the Church and society. We experience neglect from every side. We feel Catholic Church is having concern only for the Bishops and priests. We would like to know is there any provision in the Canon Law for justice for sisters and women. If then, why is the Church is so partial towards us? Few of our experience are given below:
• The priests from our Parish to which our convent belong, stopped coming for Holy Mass in the Community where there are more than twenty inmates including senior citizens of our Home.
• The priests and sisters in many places count us as the enemy of Catholic Church. The silence on the part of the Church is leading me to further humiliation and character assassination. 6
• There are double standards in dealing with sisters and priests within the Church. In the case of one Fr. Basil of Jallandhar diocese who was dismissed by Bp. Franco with allegations of disobedience, his dismissal letter was published in the diocesan bulletin of a diocese belonging to the Syro- Malabar rite whereas in our case, the Syro-Malabar church authorities said that they cannot intervene because our congregation belongs to the Latin rite. This clearly shows that the Church stands with authority and power. There is no voice for the voiceless.
• After Fr. Aerthayil CMI was caught for his efforts to influence us for withdrawing the case against the Bishop, the provincial of CMI fathers apologized to Bishop Franco and Jalandhar diocese for the humiliation that they could have faced due to Fr. Aerthayil's intervention. The CMI Congregational leadership had no concern for our troubles as women religious and our desire for justice.
• From childhood we have been taught to believe that the Church is our mother. But in the light of my experience I am beginning to think that the Church is a step-mother to women and laity.
• I am concerned that priests and bishops are allowed to spend nights in convents even when they have other facilities like parish houses, pastoral centers and the like.
Your highness, I would like to ask: Will the Church authority -who stand to protect Bishop Franco and safeguard the dignity of the Church by hiding his wickedness- be able to give back what I have lost? I feel the Catholic Church is still doubting my truth over the argument as to why I allowed him to abuse me sexually 'thirteen times'. I had tremendous fear and shame to bring this out into the open. I feared suppression of the congregation and threats to my family members. At the same time I wonder why the Church is closing its eyes towards the truth when I have mustered courage to stop him.
There are many sisters and women who are suffering silently without having the capacity to resist sexual abuse from people from whom they expect respect and care. I feel this kind of silence on the part of the Church authorities and protection of those who commit the crime may create a situation where the Church loses its credibility before society. It will have a very adverse effect on women in the Indian Church that they have no other option than to react in a manner that safeguard their dignity as human persons even at the cost of losing their catholic faith.
Being a religious sister who is denied justice from the congregation authority and from the Church authority of Latin and Syro Malabar Churches, once again I implore your mercy on my situation. I beg the Church authorities to kindly make a speedy enquiry about this case and remove Bishop Franco from his responsibilities as the spiritual leader of the diocese. By continuing in this position, he and his close associates are using the wealth of the diocese of Jalandhar to divert the course of investigation that the police has begun. They are alluring people to take a stand for them by assuring them of properties and other forms of wealth. They are 7 arranging people to attack us and Bp Franco is using his political power and money to get the higher authorities of the investigation and the Government, in order to bury the legal proceedings that I have filed against him. Even though we filed a case against Bp. Franco more than two months ago and the investigating agency is convinced of the proofs they have, they are not able to arrest the bishop because of his political and economic power.
In this situation, I turn to the Church authorities again for justice. Seeking your urgent intervention in this case as the representative of the Holy See in India,
Yours sincerely,
Sr. (Name withhld)
Place: Kuravilangad
Date: 08-09-2018.
CC to
1. CBCI President, Cardinal Oswald Gracias
2. Delhi Metropolitan Archbishop, Anil Couto
3. National CRI President, Bro. T. Amalan FSC
4. National CRI Secretary, Fr. Joe Mannath SDB
5. CRI Sister's Section President, Sr. Rose Celine BS
6. CRI Sister's Section Vice President, Sr. Doris D'Souza AC
7. CRI Sister's Section Secretary, Sr. Therese Meera RGS
8. CRI Kerala Region President, Fr. Sebastian Thudathikunnal VC
9. CRI North Region President, Sr. Teresa Attupuram SCJM
10. CRI M. P. Region President, Fr. Justin Akkara CMI
11. CRI Western Region President, Sr. Magy Allessu DHM
12. CRI Karnataka Region President, Fr. Stanislaus D'Souza SJ,
13. CRI North East Region Presiden,t Fr. Arul Susaimanickam SJ
14. CRI Odisha Region President, Sr. Jema Barla FC
15. CRI Tamil Nadu Region President, Bro. Mariannan SG
16. CRI URU Region President, Fr. Biju Vadakkel CMI
17. CRI West-Bengal Region President, Sr. Anselm Alunkal SJC
18. CRI Jharkhand/Andamans President, Sr. Suchita Xalxo OSU
19. CRI Chhattisgarh Region President, Fr. Josey James CMI
20. CRI Bihar Region President, Fr. Jose Vadasery SJ
21. CRI Andhra Pradesh Region President, Fr. Amal Raj SJ
Received From Arathy Asok
TODAY · PUBLIC
From: Sr. (name and address withheld to conceal identity)Kerala, India
To: The Apostolic Nuncio His Ex. Most Rev. Giambattista Diquattro Apostolic Nunciature 50 –C Niti Marg, Chanakyapuri New Delhi - 110021
Your Highness,
I am Sr.(name concealed), who joined the congregation of Missionaries of Jesus in 1994 and did my first profession in the year 1999 in Jalandhar while our founder father Late Bp.Symphorian Keeprath was the bishop of Jalandhar diocese. I took my final vows before him in the year 2004. I have completed 19 years in this congregation as a professed sister. I have been Superior General of the congregation since 2004 for 3 years by the appointment of the founder. Then in 2007, I was elected as Superior General till 2013. Throughout these years and to date I have been sincere to my call and have dedicated my life to Jesus by building up our congregation and fulfilling its mission. In the year 2013 July, I was appointed as the superior of .... home at Kuravilangad. I am still a member of St. Francis Mission Home, Kerala.
I write this letter as a victim of sexual abuse who is seeking justice. In the month of June 2017, I met Rev. Fr. Joseph Thadathil the Parish Priest of Kuravilangad Church and also Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt the Bishop of Palai Diocese. I have explained to them about the sexual exploitation that I suffered from Bp. Franco from 2014 to 2016 and his continued torture through various means from the time I took courage and resisted him. That was the reason why I thought of leaving the congregation silently in May 2017. But the love and concern of my sisters and the prayers and advise of few Bishops and many priests stopped me from that. When I submitted my application for dispensation, all my four community members were ready to leave the congregation along with me and many others expressed to me their desire to leave Jalandhar Diocese and live in any other place with me as MJ sisters. Since I could not see the destruction of the congregation by loosing so many vocations, I canceled my application for dispensation.
Under the direction of Bishop Kallarangatt and Bishop Vadakkel, Bishop of Ujjain diocese, I have given a letter to Cardinal Mar George Alencherry, the head of the Syro Malabar Church through Bishop Vadakkel by hand, on 11.07.2017. I had also given the same letter to Bp. Vadakkel explaining my sufferings and that of other MJ sisters under Bishop Franco Mulackal. On 23.11.2017 I met Cardinal Mar George Alencherry personally and told him all that I have faced from Bishop Franco. And in December 2017, since Bishop Franco was planning to trap me and my companion sister with a police case in Jalandhar, during a telephonic 2 conversation I appealed to the Cardinal to arrange an appointment with the Nuncio so that I may explain my pain and misery. But I did not get any positive response from the Church authority in Kerala. In the same way, earlier in the same year Bishop Vadakkel assured me over phone that he will arrange a chance for me to meet the Nuncio personally when the Nuncio comes to Kochi in the month of October 2017. But he did not arrange that meeting either. Therefore on 28.01.2018, I have personally sent a letter to your Highness in which I have clearly mentioned about the complaint against Bp Franco of rape , sexual exploitation, mental torture and the police complaint that he had filed against me in Punjab Police . This letter was handed over to you by Bishop Kurian Valiayakandathil , the Bishop of Bhagalpur at the time CBCI meeting in Bangalore .
After having waited for five months, I did not receive any reply from your office. Therefore on 14.05.2018, I have sent letters to three Church Officials in Rome by courier and on tracking it, we realized that they have received it on 18.05.2018. These letters were to Most Rev. Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaia Ferrer S.J, Prefetto Congreegazione Dotrina, Della Fede, 00120Citta Del Vaticano; S. EM.ZA Reverndissima,Ouellet Card. Marc P.S.S,Prefetto Congreegazione Per I Vescovi,00120 Citta Del vaticano and to Pope Francis, 00120 Citta Del vaticano. There after I waited more than a month and I have not received any reply beside the delivery receipt of the DHL courier. I have made one more attempt on 22.06.2018 to the State Secretary, Most. Rev. Cardinal Pietro Parolin Segretario di statto 00120 Vatican City, which was received there on 25.06.2018.
Though Bishop Franco had sexually abused me several times, I could not reveal to my Superior General or to her Councilors the full story. I only told them repeatedly that Bishop is taking many disciplinary actions through them just because I resisted to lie down with him. As they failed to understand even the seriousness of these words, I could not tell them more than this. And I had the fear that Bishop Franco may harm me with the support of my superiors. The loss of vocations from the Missionaries of Jesus during the last five years (20 sisters have left) prove that the congregational leadership has no solution for the problems faced by the sisters. The leadership team of the MJ sisters have only depended on Bishop Franco for all their problems. Since I was one of the senior most in the congregation I could not speak openly to any of my sisters.
Bishop Franco had always an eagle's eye on few other MJ sisters as well. Whichever sister Bishop Franco felt attraction to, he tried to put them in his trap by force or taking advantage of their weaknesses. In this matter I can place a simple example of April 2017. One of our young sisters who had a close contact with Bishop Franco was caught by the authority with specific proofs for a serious error in the place where this sister was rendering her service. Then Bishop Franco asked our superiors to send her to another state where we have more than 3 communities, to a place where only junior sisters were there. Then in the same week itself Bishop Franco made a special visit to this community and stayed there overnight. At night till 12 pm, this sister was alone in his room for 'spiritual direction'. His unusual night stay in that community raised a 3 serious question in all most all the MJ sisters. For me the question is why Bishop Franco had an extraordinary sympathy for this sister when he has failed to express genuine concern for the many sisters who left the congregation for lack of understanding from the authority. Even he tried his level best to free this sister from facing any disciplinary action and appointing her to a place where he could easily contact her any time. On knowing the consequences, nobody dared to ask about this publically. In this manner we can get many more examples from Jalandhar Diocese and the sisters of the diocese if the Church authority makes a truthful investigation.
We hid the above mentioned case from the investigation officers, because we know that in order to destroy this sisters' image and close her mouth forever, Bishop Franco and his close associates may play any dirty game on this sister. Anyone daring to resist him has to face strong consequences, He has even instigated our own Superior General and Team members and few priests of the diocese to speak against me and the sisters who support me for justice. Their accusation is that all this is a game that I play for pleasing a few priests of the diocese of Jalandhar who are against Bishop Franco.
I would like to bring to your notice the few attempts made by Bp Franco to hook us in different police cases. On 30 November 2017, I received a call from the ASI Mr. Amrik Singh (07973428828) that the Punjab police has received a complaint against Sr. Anupama MJ and myself of having threatened ishop Franco that we would commit suicide. This case was filed by Fr. Peter Kavumpuram, the PRO of the Diocese of Jalandhar. I reported about the police enquiry to my Superior General, but there was no response. While we were patiently waiting for some signs of intervention from Church authorities, on 19.06.2018 Bishop Franco filed a police complaint to Punjab police against my brother Mr. Darwin, again by the PRO of Jalandhar Diocese. In his complaint he falsely accused my brother of having threatened Bishop Franco that he would murder him.
And on 23.06.2018 Bishop Franco filed a case again through his PRO to Kottayam Superintendent of Police. In this case, he has accused six people including the family members of the five MJ sisters who stood with me in my struggle and the taxi driver, whose car we hire for travelling. These five sisters came into the picture because they are staying along with me in the Kuravilangad community, they support me and demand justice for me. The complaint was the same as they have given in Punjab against my brother on 19.06.2018.
On seeing all these police cases against us and our family members by the Jalandhar authorities, we were shocked and frightened . Therefore we spoke to the Archbishop Anil Couto, Metropolitan, Delhi Region during his visit to our community in Kuravilangad in May 2018, and later over phone and narrated our mental agony and struggle. Then he gave us the e-mail ID of Apostolic Nuncio and asked us to write to your Highness. On 24.06.2018, the same night itself at 11.45 pm, we send an urgent mail to your Highness along with the news paper clippings the 4 PRO had given in different news papers . We thought that your Highness may ask Bishop Franco to stop his legal proceeding against our family members till the Church makes its enquiry about the truth of the matter. However, on realizing that the Church authorities are blind towards my plea for justice and truth, we had no other option than to approach the police in our search for justice and for our safety and that of our family members. Therefore on 28-06-2018, I filed a case against Bishop Franco forwarding the same complaint that I have given to your Highness in the month of January 2018.
In the proceedings of this case so far, it is clearly visible how Bp Franco is trying to manipulate the investigation with wrong information and with his money, political power and support from other ecclesiastical authorities.
• On hearing about the police case that I filed against Bp. Franco, his initial stand was that I have taken such steps in reaction to the disciplinary actions he has taken against me. He took advantage of a complaint that a family member wrote against me to my superior General in the context of a conflict, and he used it as a weapon to divert police attention from the real crime. Only on later investigation by the police, it was proved that the complaint of that family member was a fabricated story and there is no truth in that complaint.
• When Fr. James Aerthayil CMI approached us three times and assured us of a huge reward of 10 acres of land and a convent in Kanjirapally Diocese, Kerala, on condition that we withdraw our complaint against Bp. Franco, this CMI priest acknowledged the hand of Jalandhar Diocese in this deal. Even though the investigating officers got concrete evidence of the attempts made by Jalandhar diocesan authorities to pressurize us to withdraw the complaint against Bp. Franco, the police could not go ahead with a proper investigation on this as they realized that there are many other personalities with power behind this move.
• In the different cases Bishop Franco has filed in Punjab and Kerala against me and the family members of other sisters, he has used false evidence to support his position. The Jalandhar authorities compelled Mr. Sijoy from my parish, who is also the brother of a close associate of the Bishop to write against my brother that he plans to murder Bishop Franco. For this Mr. Sijoy was called to Punjab by Air but later he confessed the truth to the police.
• While the case was in its initial stage, in an interview to a leading TV channel, Bishop Franco said that he was waiting for the police team to arrive in Jalandhar so that he can reveal the truth. However, finally when the police did arrive in Jalandhar and reached the Bishop's House after questioning different people on different days, he tried to escape with the help of Punjab Police. But on realizing that the investigation officers were adamant to meet him on the same day, Punjab police called Bp. Franco back after four hours. They pretended that Bishop Franco was in Chandigarh though he was in some place around Jalandhar. Late in the evening when Bishop Franco came back to meet the investigation team, the media people were attacked by his personal security staff at the Bishop's house, though they were in the midst of Punjab police.
• During the police investigation, Bishop Franco made many contradictory statements and denied his stay in Kuravilangad though it was clearly recorded in the chronicle of the convent and attested by the statement of the driver who brought him. Bishop Franco then arranged a sister from the Sacred Heart sister's convent at Muthalakodam to give false evidence about his stay in their convent on those days. But the investigation team found the truth from the sister who later admitted that she was asked to tell a lie. Their house chronicle also revealed the truth.
• As per the Indian Penal Code, the medical report of the victim and a complaint under the Section 164 in the Code of Criminal Procedure before the Magistrate itself is sufficient enough to proceed with the case. In the report that the investigation officer DSP K. Subash submitted to the honourable High Court on 10.08.2018, it is clearly mentioned that " the investigation so far conducted and the available evidence collected so far, it is revealed that the accused Bishop Franco committed unnatural offence and committed rape repeatedly on different dates from 05.05.2018 to 23.09.2016 on Sr..... (name withheld) against the will and consent of her by abusing his dominance over her as Bishop of Jalandhar after confining her in the guest room No. 20 of St. Francis Mission Home Kuravilangad."(copy of the same attached). But our plight is that even after completing 72 days of investigation in this case, Bishop Franco is functioning freely with all his privileges as he enjoys extraordinary protection from the higher officials of the Police and the State Government. The silence and inaction on the part of the authorities of the Catholic Church in India is adding to the impunity that he enjoys before the law of the land.
Ever since we filed this case we remain cut off from the mainstream of the Church and society. We experience neglect from every side. We feel Catholic Church is having concern only for the Bishops and priests. We would like to know is there any provision in the Canon Law for justice for sisters and women. If then, why is the Church is so partial towards us? Few of our experience are given below:
• The priests from our Parish to which our convent belong, stopped coming for Holy Mass in the Community where there are more than twenty inmates including senior citizens of our Home.
• The priests and sisters in many places count us as the enemy of Catholic Church. The silence on the part of the Church is leading me to further humiliation and character assassination. 6
• There are double standards in dealing with sisters and priests within the Church. In the case of one Fr. Basil of Jallandhar diocese who was dismissed by Bp. Franco with allegations of disobedience, his dismissal letter was published in the diocesan bulletin of a diocese belonging to the Syro- Malabar rite whereas in our case, the Syro-Malabar church authorities said that they cannot intervene because our congregation belongs to the Latin rite. This clearly shows that the Church stands with authority and power. There is no voice for the voiceless.
• After Fr. Aerthayil CMI was caught for his efforts to influence us for withdrawing the case against the Bishop, the provincial of CMI fathers apologized to Bishop Franco and Jalandhar diocese for the humiliation that they could have faced due to Fr. Aerthayil's intervention. The CMI Congregational leadership had no concern for our troubles as women religious and our desire for justice.
• From childhood we have been taught to believe that the Church is our mother. But in the light of my experience I am beginning to think that the Church is a step-mother to women and laity.
• I am concerned that priests and bishops are allowed to spend nights in convents even when they have other facilities like parish houses, pastoral centers and the like.
Your highness, I would like to ask: Will the Church authority -who stand to protect Bishop Franco and safeguard the dignity of the Church by hiding his wickedness- be able to give back what I have lost? I feel the Catholic Church is still doubting my truth over the argument as to why I allowed him to abuse me sexually 'thirteen times'. I had tremendous fear and shame to bring this out into the open. I feared suppression of the congregation and threats to my family members. At the same time I wonder why the Church is closing its eyes towards the truth when I have mustered courage to stop him.
There are many sisters and women who are suffering silently without having the capacity to resist sexual abuse from people from whom they expect respect and care. I feel this kind of silence on the part of the Church authorities and protection of those who commit the crime may create a situation where the Church loses its credibility before society. It will have a very adverse effect on women in the Indian Church that they have no other option than to react in a manner that safeguard their dignity as human persons even at the cost of losing their catholic faith.
Being a religious sister who is denied justice from the congregation authority and from the Church authority of Latin and Syro Malabar Churches, once again I implore your mercy on my situation. I beg the Church authorities to kindly make a speedy enquiry about this case and remove Bishop Franco from his responsibilities as the spiritual leader of the diocese. By continuing in this position, he and his close associates are using the wealth of the diocese of Jalandhar to divert the course of investigation that the police has begun. They are alluring people to take a stand for them by assuring them of properties and other forms of wealth. They are 7 arranging people to attack us and Bp Franco is using his political power and money to get the higher authorities of the investigation and the Government, in order to bury the legal proceedings that I have filed against him. Even though we filed a case against Bp. Franco more than two months ago and the investigating agency is convinced of the proofs they have, they are not able to arrest the bishop because of his political and economic power.
In this situation, I turn to the Church authorities again for justice. Seeking your urgent intervention in this case as the representative of the Holy See in India,
Yours sincerely,
Sr. (Name withhld)
Place: Kuravilangad
Date: 08-09-2018.
CC to
1. CBCI President, Cardinal Oswald Gracias
2. Delhi Metropolitan Archbishop, Anil Couto
3. National CRI President, Bro. T. Amalan FSC
4. National CRI Secretary, Fr. Joe Mannath SDB
5. CRI Sister's Section President, Sr. Rose Celine BS
6. CRI Sister's Section Vice President, Sr. Doris D'Souza AC
7. CRI Sister's Section Secretary, Sr. Therese Meera RGS
8. CRI Kerala Region President, Fr. Sebastian Thudathikunnal VC
9. CRI North Region President, Sr. Teresa Attupuram SCJM
10. CRI M. P. Region President, Fr. Justin Akkara CMI
11. CRI Western Region President, Sr. Magy Allessu DHM
12. CRI Karnataka Region President, Fr. Stanislaus D'Souza SJ,
13. CRI North East Region Presiden,t Fr. Arul Susaimanickam SJ
14. CRI Odisha Region President, Sr. Jema Barla FC
15. CRI Tamil Nadu Region President, Bro. Mariannan SG
16. CRI URU Region President, Fr. Biju Vadakkel CMI
17. CRI West-Bengal Region President, Sr. Anselm Alunkal SJC
18. CRI Jharkhand/Andamans President, Sr. Suchita Xalxo OSU
19. CRI Chhattisgarh Region President, Fr. Josey James CMI
20. CRI Bihar Region President, Fr. Jose Vadasery SJ
21. CRI Andhra Pradesh Region President, Fr. Amal Raj SJ
Received From Arathy Asok
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