Kerala Nun Rape Case: Bishop offers to step aside temporarily

Priests support nuns as they protest the delay in action against senior Catholic priest Franco Mulakkal, in Kochi. Pic/PTI

Senior Catholic priest Franco Mulakkal, accused of rape by a nun, has written to the Pope offering to "step aside temporarily" as bishop of Jalandhar diocese, a move which comes ahead of his appearance before the Kerala police on Wednesday to join the investigation in the case.

A spokesman of the diocese said the bishop wrote to the Pope on Sunday. The bishop has written "a letter to Holy Father Pope Francis expressing his desire to step aside temporarily and requested to be relieved from the administration of the diocese," the Jalandhar diocese said in a release.

The bishop's move came ahead of his appearance before the SIT of Kerala police on September 19 in response to the summons asking him to join the probe. The Kerala-based nun had accused the clergyman of sexually assaulting her 13 times between 2014 and 2016.

"He decided on his own to make his request to Holy Father. He is confident that his request will be accepted," the diocese release said. The bishop had last week handed over administrative responsibility of Jalandhar diocese to Msgr Mathew Kokkandam in his absence, ahead of his Kerala visit.

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