Nun rape case: Franco Mulakkal quits as Jalandhar diocese bishop
Controversial bishop of the Roman Catholic Church’s Jalandhar diocese Franco Mulakkal, who was temporarily relieved of his pastoral responsibilities by Pope Francis in 2018 following allegations of rape by a nun, has resigned from the Jalandhar bishop’s post
Jalandhar/Thiruvananthapuram : Controversial bishop of the Roman Catholic Church’s Jalandhar diocese Franco Mulakkal, who was temporarily relieved of his pastoral responsibilities by Pope Francis in 2018 following allegations of rape by a nun, has resigned from the Jalandhar bishop’s post on Thursday.
Mulakkal, 59, was appointed bishop of the diocese of Jalandhar in 2013.
Confirming the development, Apostolic administrator of Jalandhar diocese Bishop Angelo said Mulakkal has officially resigned and Pope Francis has accepted his resignation.
“Mulakkal was already relieved from his responsibilities but now the new bishop of Jalandhar diocese will be named. Till the appointment of the new bishop, I will be the administrator looking after the whole operations,” he said.
The resignation of Mulakkal, who was acquitted by a local court in Kerala last year in the rape case, was requested by the Vatican not as a disciplinary measure imposed upon him, but for the good of the Jalandhar diocese, which needs a new bishop, the source told PTI.
His resignation will pave the way for the appointment of a new bishop to the diocese.
In a video, the bishop confirmed that the Holy See accepted his resignation. The present status of Franco Mulakkal is bishop emeritus of Jalandhar, which does not imply canonical restrictions on his ministry, the source said.
Mulakkal had met the Pope on February 8 this year, and it was his first meeting with the pontiff after being acquitted by the additional district and sessions court I, Kottayam, in the rape case.
In September 2018, the bishop was temporarily relieved of his responsibilities of the diocese by Pope Francis after Mulakkal was questioned by the Kerala police over rape charges levelled by a nun.
Acquitted in rape case in 2022
Despite being acquitted by the local court in the sensational case in January 2022, Mulakkal was not given any new responsibilities in the church.
The Vatican had earlier accepted the court’s decision, acquitting him of rape charges.
The nun, who says she was raped by the bishop, has moved the Kerala high court against the trial court verdict in the case.
She had accused Mulakkal of raping her multiple times during his visit to a convent in Kottayam in Kerala between 2014 and 2016, when he was the bishop of the Jalandhar diocese in Punjab.
