Expelled nun told to apologize and withdraw or be sued

The Vatican has dismissed an Indian Catholic nun’s appeal to have her expulsion from her congregation in Kerala state revoked.

Sister Lucy Kalapura was expelled from her Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) at the beginning of August.

Her congregation accused her of willful disobedience, defying the laws of the congregation and “following a lifestyle that does not fit Catholic religious women”.

Kalapura says she came up against her congregation after she supported five nuns in a public protest in September 2018.

The nuns were calling for Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar to be arrested after a nun accused him of raping her.

They ended the fortnight-long protest after the bishop was arrested later in September 2018.

He now faces court proceedings on rape charges.

The FCC documents show Kalapuran had been warned about her behaviour several times over the past two years.

They say she ignored warnings about her dress, car ownership and not sharing her teacher’s salary with the community.

After her expulsion, Kalapura appealed to the Vatican Congregation for Oriental Churches.

She hoped her dismissal would be revoked so she could continue religious life.

Although the Vatican has dismissed her appeal, Kalapura could still try one more avenue of recourse.

She is entitled to “present a new recourse to the Supreme Tribunal of the Segnatura Apostica.”

However, Kalapura says she no longer has “faith in the Vatican and its systems.

“There is no use in appealing to the Vatican again. They are just following the script written by the superior general of the congregation and her team.

“My dismissal was planned when I supported the nuns and sought justice for the nun allegedly raped.

“The letter of my dismissal is already written and approved by the Vatican. There is not going to be any change in that.”

Instead, Kalapura says she will try to gain justice from the civil court.

FCC superior general Sister Ann Joseph has threatened to sue Kalapuraif she does not withdraw the case filed against the superior of the convent in Karakkamala, Wayanad, and offer unconditional apology.

A lay leader supporting Kalapura says the Vatican dismissed the appeal “without even trying once to talk to Sister Kalapura and listening to her side of the story.”

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