Franco Mulakkal

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Franco Mulakkal ( Malayalam ഫ്രാങ്കോ മുളയ്ക്കൽ ; born March 25, 1964 in Mattam, India ) is Bishop of Jalandhar .

Life

Spiritual career

Franco Mulakkal was ordained a priest on April 21, 1990 .

Pope Benedict XVI appointed him on January 17, 2009 titular bishop of Chullu and auxiliary bishop in Delhi . The Archbishop of Delhi, Vincent Michael Concessao , donated him episcopal ordination on February 21 of the same year ; Co- consecrators were Andrews Thazhath , Archbishop of Trichur , and Anil Joseph Thomas Couto , Bishop of Jalandhar .

On June 13, 2013, Pope Francis appointed Mulakkal Bishop of Jalandhar. He was inducted into office on August 4, 2013.

On September 21, 2018, Pope Francis appointed the auxiliary bishop emeritus Agnelo Rufino Gracias from Bombay as Apostolic Administrator sede plena of the Diocese of Jalandhar. The jurisdiction Franco Mulakkals as diocesan bishop resting since then.

Criminal proceedings

In July 2018, Mulakkal was charged with raping a nun on multiple occasions in 2014-2016. In 2018, files were published that are supposed to prove that the bishop unsuccessfully pushed for the criminal complaint to be withdrawn and offered something in return. In September 2018, a protest was held in Kochi , Kerala state , at which participants, including seven Catholic nuns, demanded the immediate arrest of Bishop Mulakkal. The order, under the bishop's command, distanced itself from allegations of sexual harassment of three women as well as repeated rape and the demonstration. Pinarayi Vijayan , the prime minister of the state of Kerala, had press officers explain that he was on the victim's side. On September 15, 2018, Mulakkal resigned from office without giving up his position. He was arrested in Kerala on September 21, 2018. In October 2018, the Kerala Supreme Court initially refused a release on bail .

Several witnesses who testified against Mulakkal said they had been threatened. On October 15, 2018, the bishop was released on bail. On October 22, 2018, the previously threatened priest Kuriakose Kattuthara, a main witness against Mulakkal, was found dead in Hoshiarpur , Punjab, after a suspected cardiac arrest. Kattuthara's family said the priest did not have heart disease and requested an autopsy to verify the cause of death. It was not immediately possible to determine whether the crime was homicide or natural death . The brother, cousin and nephew of the late priest filed criminal charges against Mulakkal for threats and mental torture. The police opened a death investigation. In November 2018, the Jalandhar diocese refused to cover the cost of criminal defense in Mulakkal .

The nun Lisy Vadakkayil stated in February 2019 that she had been a victim of torture and deprivation of liberty in the Catholic monastery of Muvattupuzha because of her testimony against Mulakkal . On April 10, 2019, Mulakkal was charged with rape, coercion and deprivation of liberty; if convicted, he faces life imprisonment . He described the criminal complaint as an act of revenge for disciplinary measures that he had imposed. On August 7, 2020 Mulakkal was on bail and under strict conditions in the detention dismissed. The trial before the Kottayam District Court began in August 2020.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gladwin Emmanuel: Kerala: Rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal charged of trying to buy silence of victim. Bangalore Mirror July 29, 2018
  2. ↑ In a first, Catholic nuns protest 'sexploitation'. In: The Times of India . September 9, 2018, accessed September 12, 2018 .
  3. ↑ "Not even a confirmation of receipt from the nunciature". kath.net from September 13, 2018
  4. ↑ India: Bishop lets office rest. Vatican News of September 15, 2018
  5. ↑ India bishop accused of rape arrested in Kerala. BBC News, September 22, 2018, accessed September 22, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Indian court rejects bishop's release on bail. kath.net from October 4, 2018
  7. ↑ a b Parampreet Singh Narula: Bishop Franco Mulakkal harassed Father Kuriakose, alleges kin. Hindustan Times, October 25, 2018
  8. ↑ Priestly witness against Indian bishop was found dead . kath.net from October 24, 2018
  9. ↑ Indian diocese will not fund defense for bishop accused of rape. Catholic News Agency, November 7, 2018, accessed November 10, 2018
  10. ^ Ramesh Babu: Search Convent booked for harassing nun who deposed against ex-Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal. Hindustan Times, February 19, 2019
  11. ↑ India: Bishop is said to have abused religious women. Vatican News, April 10, 2019
  12. ↑ Anubha Rohatgi: Kerala court frames charges against rape-accused ex-Bishop Franco Mulakkal. Hindustan Times , August 13, 2020

Web links

predecessor Office successor
Anil Couto Bishop of Jalandhar
since 2013 		...
personal data
SURNAME Mulakkal, Franco
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Indian clergyman, Bishop of Jalandhar
DATE OF BIRTH March 25, 1964
PLACE OF BIRTH Mattam, India