Nun Breaks Years of Silence in High-Profile Rape Case Against Bishop
Eight years after her rape complaint shook the Catholic Church in Kerala, Sister Ranit M.J. has decided to step out of the shadows. She no longer wants to hide. The senior nun now demands to be seen and heard.
"All these years, I stayed a victim. Now I am a survivor," Sister Ranit declares firmly. She sits in the chapel of St. Francis Mission Home at Kuravilangad in Kottayam district. This is where she has lived since 2013.
The Case That Rocked the Church
In 2018, Sister Ranit accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of raping her thirteen times between May 2014 and September 2016. Mulakkal served as the Bishop of Jalandhar diocese at that time. His arrest in September 2018 marked a historic moment. It was the first time a sitting Catholic Bishop in India faced custody on sexual assault charges.
A trial court acquitted Mulakkal in 2022. The court cited lack of proof and inconsistencies in the survivor's statements. Sister Ranit immediately challenged this decision. She moved the Kerala High Court against the acquittal. The court will hear her appeal in 2026.
"Many people think the case is finished, that I have left this place. But the fight is not over," Sister Ranit explains. "I don't want to hide anymore. I want to be seen and heard."
A Detailed Account of Alleged Assaults
Sister Ranit describes the first alleged incident on May 5, 2014. Bishop Mulakkal visited the Mission Home that night. Court documents state he called her to his room, Room Number 20, to iron his cassock. When she entered with the garment, he allegedly bolted the door and sexually assaulted her.
The alleged assaults continued during his visits. She claims they happened thirteen times over two years. Sister Ranit says she felt terrified and trapped.
"I remember wanting to scream at the time. But I was too scared for my life because he was the Bishop, someone as close to God as possible," she recalls with visible pain.
She explains her initial silence. "Virginity and chastity are central to my belief system, part of my vows to the church. The Bishop ripped these off me, he broke my vows. There are dire consequences if vows are broken, even involuntarily. I did not want to be expelled from the congregation. I was too scared to speak out."
Facing Retribution and Finding Support
When Sister Ranit finally resisted in September 2016, retribution came swiftly. The Bishop removed her from her post as Mother Superior of the Home. She says he also tried to implicate her family members in false police cases.
She reported the assaults to her spiritual mother and confessed to a priest. However, the Church's seal of secrecy bound the priest. Her complaints to senior Church authorities, including the Vatican's representative in India, went unaddressed.
"I had knocked on every possible door inside the Church to save myself from the Bishop's cruelty. But none of the superiors addressed my complaints. I had to finally lodge a police complaint," she states.
After filing the complaint in June 2018, Sister Ranit felt broken. "I considered my life to be over. I thought I was finished because of the shame of what was inflicted on me," she admits.
Five fellow nuns stood by her. They staged a public protest in Ernakulam, demanding Mulakkal's arrest. About eighty organizations joined their cause. The Bishop's arrest followed on September 21, 2018.
Life After Acquittal and Ongoing Struggle
The 2022 acquittal devastated Sister Ranit. Mulakkal resigned as Jalandhar Bishop in 2023 but retains his title. The Church has not defrocked him.
Mulakkal's lawyer, Senior Advocate Raman Pillai, dismisses Sister Ranit's claims. "She is just repeating the false allegations she once made against the Bishop. She can repeat the allegations if she wants," he states.
Today, only three nuns remain at St. Francis Mission Home: Sister Ranit, her biological sister Sr Alphy, and Sr Ancitta. The congregation has largely isolated them. Monthly sustenance funds have stopped.
"We are supposed to get Rs 5,000 per month as support funds, but we have not been getting it. So, we decided to grow vegetables, sew… do everything we can to keep the Home going," Sister Ranit explains.
They cultivate tapioca, cabbage, and turmeric. They raise hens and ducks. They stitch clothes and bags under the banner 'Stand by Me' to generate income. Supporters provided sewing machines.
Bishop Jose Sebastian Thekkumcherikunnel, the current Jalandhar Bishop, denies abandoning the sisters. "The Mission Home belongs to the Jalandhar diocese and any income generated from the Home is of Jalandhar diocese. Hence, factually, the sisters at the home are still being supported by the diocese. The church has not thrown them out as they are claiming," he asserts.
A Personal Journey to Strength
Sister Ranit draws strength from her father, P.P. Antony, a CRPF soldier. He taught her never to leave anything midway. She grew up in Kurichilakodu village in Ernakulam district as an introvert. After her mother's death from cancer when she was fifteen, she moved to Punjab. She later joined the congregation after feeling "the call of God."
She maintains a disciplined life with prayers starting at 5:45 AM and ending at 10 PM. As she awaits the High Court hearing, her resolve remains firm.
"When I was not able to get justice from the church, I had to file a police complaint. When I did not get justice from courts, I decided to speak out in public," she declares.
She finds symbolism in the COVID-19 masks. "I used to hide behind that mask for long. It is time to shed it," she says.
Sister Ranit now embroiders bags, including one for the survivor of the 2017 Kerala actor assault case. She questions the justice system. "They ask me why I didn't complain earlier. But what happened to the woman who complained on the very same day she was sexually assaulted? Did she get justice?"
Her message is clear. "I have decided to come out because it will give strength to a lot of women. I will not be defeated. I will attend public meetings and speak the truth. I don't know what I will talk about. But I will surely talk."
Sister Ranit's journey from victim to survivor continues. Her voice now breaks the silence that once confined her.
