The Indian Christian Women Movement, an ecumenical group, has issued an open letter addressed to the leaders of various Churchesin the country.
We, as women of the Chur-ches, waited for the verdict impa-tiently, we were so sure that the accused will be indicted.
In our estimation, all evidence pointed to the guilt of Franco Mulakkal. All that remained was for the guilty verdict and for the Church to acknowledge its connivance and announce, in no uncertain terms, its agreement with the strongest punishment that he deserves.
But, this was not to be. Mulakkal was acquitted of all charges; and the survivor Sister was left to deal with the consequences of crimes she did not commit.
In the text of the judgment, as submitted to the court, words have been written about the nun; intimate details enumerated which should shame every Christian woman, let alone a sister who has dedicated her life to obedience and submissiveness to authority in the church.
Her defence was downplayed and she was left in the lurch by the Church. This has been the most difficult – feeling let down by the Church to which she had avowed allegiance.
For us as women of the Church this betrayal has been the most painful to accept. We call on the leadership of the Church to account for their attitude ever since the survivor Sister courageously spoke out about her ordeal. The Church did not react as it should have – letters of appeal she sent to the leadership of the Church were ignored; the church remained silent in the face of her humiliation in the court.