Expelled Catholic nun vows to continue fight

Thiruvananthapuram: Sister Lucy Kalapura did not get upset when suddenly a senior advocate in the Kerala High Court refused her brief in a case regarding her eviction from the home congregation. She knew that she was fighting a lonely do-or-die battle.

Before him, a handful of other advocates also had rejected outright her case against the Franciscan Clarist Congregation that had expelled her recently for allegedly failing to give a ‘satisfactory explanation’ for her lifestyle that violated its rules.

But, the unperturbed retired school teacher-nun was not ready to give up the fight as she argued the case on her own though she had limited knowledge about legal jargons.

Sister Kalapura dismissed the charges against her and decided to fight it legally after the Church justified its decision to expel her from the centuries-old congregation, where she had been a member for the past four decades.

“I am fighting for justice and dignity. Justice and truth will prevail finally. So why should I fear? I will stand with my head held high as I have not done anything wrong,” Kalapura told PTI in an interview.

This fearlessness seems to have gained the Catholic nun a rebellious image among the Church authorities but won her several admirers among the public.

The congregation, in its notice, had termed as “grave violations” by Sister Kalapura possessing a driving license, buying a car, taking a loan for it and publishing a book and spending money without the permission and knowledge of her superiors, and the Vatican ratified the decision by rejecting her three appeals against the expulsion.

Sister Kalapura raised many eyebrows with her alleged violation of the congregation’s rules, but she does not mind if someone calls her an “activist nun” as she believes that there is an activist within everyone’s persona.

She also says such allegations does not make any difference to her dedication and service to the Church and society.

Sister Kalapura expelled by the FCC in August 2019, almost a year after she joined a protest by five nuns of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation seeking the arrest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar, accused of raping a nun.

The congregation said she was expelled for “failing” to provide explanation for her lifestyle that allegedly violated the church rules.

Now, she is fighting a case at a Munsif court seeking her right to stay in the FCC convent at Karackamala in Kerala’s northern Wayanad district.

The High Court, which ruled in July that police protection against eviction from the convent could not be provided to her, also directed the civil court to take a decision expeditiously on her plea regarding her stay at the FCC convent.

Legal battle

However, the 56-year old nun, who recently retired as a mathematics teacher in an aided school in Wayanad district after 24 years of service, doesn’t seem worried about the outcome of the legal battle.

“I know it will be a long-drawn legal battle. I will take the fight till the apex court seeking to uphold my dignity as a nun and continue my stay at the convent of the congregation which I am part of for nearly 40 years. I have complete faith in our judiciary,” she added.

Hailing from Kannur district north of Wayanad, Sister Kalapura says the hardships and challenges she has suffered in the last two years were beyond words.

“From denial of food and social exclusion inside the convent to cyber bullying, life threat and fabricated stories outside. I have been facing these for the last some years since I have started questioning the unacceptable practices of the system,” she said.

The woman, who had joined the FCC at the age of 17, alleged that she had been denied access to each and every corner of the convent.

There were attempts to throw her out of her room, block her entry into the kitchen to cook food or drink water, damage the toilet and deny power supply by destroying switch boards inside the convent, she further charged.

She even had to launch a hunger strike in front of the convent to get power supply restored in the corridor near her room, following which police intervened last month.

If any ordinary woman faces such a situation in her spouse’s house, she can approach the legal system of the land and lodge a complaint of harassment.

But, a nun in a similar situation find it tough to take such a decision, she said.

The expelled nun said though the Church and the congregation expected that she would give up the fight and run away. However, she says her hardships as the God-given chance to “educate and empower” women in fighting challenges and upholding their dignity in life.

“Through my life, I am trying to show an example to the women in society how they can fight challenges and hardships and carry forward their life without any fear,” she added.

She also denied charges leveled by the congregation and claimed that obtaining a driving license or penning a book were not sins.

Claiming that she had not violated any church rules in these four decades as a nun, Sister Kalapura said she had started keeping her monthly salary without handing it over to the superior of the convent since she was even denied food.

“Whatever they do, there is no going back from nunhood. I will continue to live as a nun only. I embraced this life at the age of 17 not to give it up at some point,” she said.

Asked about her family’s stand about her bold nature, the nun said her 87-year old mother and 10 siblings were all supportive of her although they were worried about her safety and the cyber-bullying by alleged supporters of the Church.

Charges rejected
However, a church spokesperson rejected all charges leveled by the nun and justified her expulsion from the Congregation.

“A congregation has its own rules and regulations and style of functioning. A person becomes part of the religious movement after accepting all such rules. If anyone finds difficulty in living in adherence to it, that person can walk out of the system,” Father Jacob Palackapilly, spokesperson, the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council, told PTI.

Otherwise, its management may be forced to take action against the individual, he said.

Stating that the Catholic Church and congregations under it have their internal platforms for raising complaints, he said it was not unusual to take action against those who cross the boundaries.

“The Catholic Church is not a club convened yesterday. It is over 2,000 years old. Congregations have been functioning under it for the last 1,600 years,” he said.

Alleging that Kalapura had violated the vow of poverty and obedience, he criticized her for buying a vehicle, wearing a salwar, penning a book and taking part in agitations without seeking permission from the FCC authorities.

Asked whether the Church should be ready to make timely changes in its rules and regulations, he said like any other movement, changes are happening in the Church also.

Church reform activist Indulekha Joseph says the alleged harassment in nunneries and congregations could be stopped only if the government comes out with legislation in this regard.

A social stigma is attached to those who coming out of the nunneries and decide to live an ordinary life and so a majority of nuns would prefer to suffer all the alleged hardships there silently, said Joseph, who has been fighting for reforms in the Church.

Joseph also said a majority of nuns are “unpaid laborers” in congregations.

https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/expelled-india-catholic-nun-lucy-kalappura-vows-to-continue-fight-1.81230440