New Delhi: Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who is facing probe after a Kerala nun accused him of rape and sexual abuse, has written to Pope Francis, expressing his desire to step down “temporarily".
In the letter dated September 16, the Bishop expressed willingness to absolve himself of the responsibilities of the diocese since he would have to travel to Kerala several times and has sought permission for the same. The letter has been handed over to the Pope’s representative in India.
Bishop Mulakkal had last week handed over administrative responsibility of Jalandhar diocese to a senior priest. In a circular addressed to priests, nuns and brothers of the diocese, the Bishop had said, "In my absence Msgr Mathew Kokkandam will administer the Diocese as in the normal practice when I am away from the Diocese".
The bishop claimed there were "several contradictions" in the evidence collected against him by the police probing the case. "I leave everything into the hand of God as I await the result of the findings of the team probing the allegation," he had said in the circular.
The Bishop is due to appear before an investigating team of the Kerala Police on September 19.
The nun had recently sought urgent intervention of the Vatican for justice and demanded the bishop's removal as the head of the Jalandhar diocese, questioning why the church was "closing its eyes to the truth" when she had mustered courage to make public her suffering.
She alleged that Bishop Mulakkal was using "political and money power" to "bury" the case against him.
The nun had accused the clergyman of sexually assaulting her repeatedly between 2014 and 2016. The bishop had, however, dismissed the allegations as "baseless and concocted", insisting she levelled those as the catholic order had rejected her demand for favours.
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