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INDIA-CRIME-CHRISTIANITY
Indian bishop granted bail in nun rape case
NEW DELHI, Oct 15, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – An Indian bishop accused of raping a
nun was granted bail Monday in a case that has triggered rare dissent within
the country’s Catholic Church.
Bishop Franco Mulakkal was arrested on September 21 in the southern state
of Kerala on suspicion of raping the nun 13 times between 2014 and 2016.
Pope Francis suspended him the day before his arrest, appointing another
bishop in his place.
Mulakkal, 53, who headed the diocese of Jalandhar in the northern state of
Punjab, has denied the allegations and has called the scandal a conspiracy
against the church.
The nun first made the allegations in June but police only started formal
questioning in September as fury over the case mounted.
The lack of action provoked outrage and five nuns — in a rare public show
of dissent within the Indian Church — and dozens of supporters staged days
of protests.
Senior members of the Keralan Church have however come out in support of
Mulakkal.
The bishop had previously been denied bail and kept in police custody for
further questioning.
Failure by Church officials to take action on sexual abuse allegations has
been one of the biggest scandals to hit Roman Catholicism globally in recent
years.
Christians — overwhelmingly Catholic — are the third-largest religious
group in India. Around 80 percent of the country’s 1.25 billion population is
Hindu, followed by a sizeable Muslim minority.
The allegations against Mulakkal come as the global #MeToo movement is
gaining traction in India, with women alleging harassment against several
powerful men including a government minister, Bollywood filmmakers, news
editors and comedians.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1630 hrs