An Indian Catholic nun who protested against a Bishop accused of rape says she has been “denied justice” by the Vatican.
The Vatican rejected an appeal by Sister Lucy Kalappura against her dismissal by the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) in Kerala state.
She said she would not leave the convent and now plans to go to court.
Bishop Franco Mulakkal has been accused of raping a nun 13 times times between 2014 and 2016.
He was arrested after unprecedented protests by nuns who came out in support of the alleged victim last year before being released on bail.
He denies all the charges against him.
Sister Lucy was expelled on the grounds that her “lifestyle was in violation of the proper law of the FCC”.
She told the BBC’s Yogita Limaye that she was “not at all satisfied” with the Vatican’s response who she alleges did not even contact her to get her side of the story.
“I am not going to leave the convent. The lifestyle I lead is as per the rules and regulations,” she added.
Although the letter she received from the Vatican says she could “present a new recourse” if she felt that the ruling was “against her lawful rights”, she said she had no plans to appeal.
“I am allowed a second appeal but I don’t see any point in doing that since they have made up their mind. I will now go to court on behalf of all the people who are being suppressed and facing illegal behaviour from authorities of the congregation,” she told the BBC.
Other nuns who protested against the Bishop have accused the church in Kerala as well as the Vatican of turning a blind eye towards the incident.
They say they sent a letter to the Vatican’s ambassador to India and even wrote to the Vatican but did not receive a response from either.
There have also been a number of punitive measures taken against the nuns who protested, including disciplinary warnings and transfer notices.
While testifying in a local court, one of them told the judge that the church was attempting to “sabotage” evidence in order to protect the Bishop.
