By Matters India Reporter
Cherthala, Oct. 26, 2018: A parish in Kerala on October 25 witnessed commotion when some Catholics resented the presence of four “rebel” nuns at the funeral of a missionary priest from Punjab.
While some parishioners objected to the Missionaries of Jesus nuns talking to media persons inside the church premises, others offered them support and helped them out of the campus.
The nuns’ opponents accused them of tarnishing the Church’s image by going to the streets against a bishop. However, their supporters commended the nuns for their unprecedented protest for justice that drew international attention.
Five nuns — Sisters Anupama, Neena Rose, Alphy, Ancitta and Josephine — in September staged a sit-in Kochi, Kerala’s commercial hub, to demand the arrest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar, who was accused of repeatedly raping their former superior general.
The ended the 14-day protest on September 22, a day after the police arrested the bishop. A lower court sent him to judicial custody. The Kerala High Court on October 16 granted the prelate conditional bail, much to the distress of the five nuns and their supporters.
The prelate’s bail and subsequent grand welcome he received in Jalandhar reportedly panicked the nuns. Their fear intensified further after one of their priest sympathizers, Father Kuriakose Kattuthara, was found dead on Oct 22 in his room in a Punjab mission station.
They met with opposition when four of them, barring Sr Josephine, came to St. Mary’s Church, Pallipuram, near Cherthala, for the 62-year-old priest’s funeral. It is also the native parish of Sister Anupama. It belongs to the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly.
Sister Josephine, who had stayed back in their Kuravilangad convent, said her companions were sad and depressed at the opposition from some parishioners. She said the nuns were having refreshments at the parish hall after the funeral when some parishioners protested.
“The rape-accused bishop received a hero’s welcome at his diocese when he came out on conditional bail, but we are chased even from our own parish,” she told Matters India.
She further said they find such opposition as part of their cross God wants to them bear in their mission to cleanse the Church.
Sr Josephine also said such setbacks do not dishearten them and that they would continue their struggle for justice.
Sister Anupama had reached the church along with other nuns around 4:30 pm. When she started to talk to media from the premises of the church, a group of people blocked her and protested. They stood firm that they would not allow her to speak to media from the church premises.
The protesters didn’t withdraw even after she said that Father Kattuthara was their colleague and close friend.
Her opponents alleged that Sister Anupama was trying to talk to media to deliberately create issues.
Seeing Sister Anupama crying, the protesters said her tears would not move them and that they would not let her talk to the media inside the church premises.
Reacting to the incident, Anupama, broke down and told media persons outside the campus that she was “deeply hurt” by the protests.
“I am from this place. I know Father Kattuthara for many years. He has seen me as his own daughter. We have only stood for truth,” she added.