Franco Mulakkal, bishop of Jalandhar, India, is in the news for all the wrong reasons. He has been accused of a number of crimes: repeatedly raping a nun under his jurisdiction, engaging in 'unnatural sex' with her, threatening her life, trying to influence witnesses in his favor etc.
Those who have read the history of the Catholic church written by unbiased authors are least shocked by the scandalous behavior of this bishop. There have been far worse criminals and sex offenders among popes, bishops and priests in the past. Franco is in the limelight because he is the first Indian bishop to be arrested and incarcerated. In the past, using their political influence and money power, church authorities in India have managed to sweep all such criminal activities under the carpet. With the advent of social media like Facebook and WhatsApp, and an active print and visual media, the ecclesiastical authorities are unable to keep the genie of clerical misdemeanors corked up in a bottle.
Several questions and issues have cropped up in my mind around Franco's case. Since when was clerical celibacy made compulsory? Why was it done? Why are church authorities protecting ecclesiastics found guilty of serious crimes like murder, rape, and pedophilia? How did these 'successors of Peter' amass so much wealth, forgetting the warning that Jesus made to the rich: 'it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven'? Again, have the church authorities forgotten what Jesus told the young man who asked him as to how to attain salvation: 'sell everything and follow me'? Has the Catholic church become a multinational company (MNC) with the Pope as CEO and the bishops, regional managers assisted by avaricious priests?
What does 'church' (ecclesia) mean? Is it the gathering of the faithful, as it originally meant or is the church = KCBC (Kerala Catholic Bishops' Conference) with the faithful merely meek lambs who blindly obey the ecclesiastical command "pay, pray and obey"? If members of the faithful or the media refer to Franco as the 'devil incarnate', does it imply that they are tarnishing the good name of the church? Members of KCBC go out of their way to rally around the accused since he is one of their own, but do they lift a finger in support of the traumatized nun? Is not the raped nun a member of the Catholic church? And moreover, as a member of a religious congregation, who has dedicated her life to the service of the church, is she not deserving of greater sympathy than an ordinary member of the faithful?
The raped nun had complained about the bishop's abuse to the local parish priest, to various bishops, to Cardinal Alancherry, to the Nuncio, to the Vatican itself with no response from any one of these worthies. In desperation, she filed a police complaint. Her colleagues and relatives took to the street in protest. The public joined in. Now, the skull-capped men in KCBC are bemoaning this protest since according to them it has put the Catholic church in a negative light. Here is a good example of a double standard!
It was reported in the media that Franco, prior to his questioning and arrest by Kerala police, stayed for two days with his entourage in Crown Plaza, one of the most expensive hotels in Ernakulam. It is rumored that the bill came to 50 lakh rupees. Where did this money come from? How transparent are the financial dealings of Indian bishops?
Many are wondering: how did Franco become a priest in the first place? What are the criteria for selection to the holy orders? How did this apparent criminal manipulate his way to the bishopric? How are bishops chosen in the Roman Catholic church?
I plan to discuss some of these issues in my future blogs.
Those who have read the history of the Catholic church written by unbiased authors are least shocked by the scandalous behavior of this bishop. There have been far worse criminals and sex offenders among popes, bishops and priests in the past. Franco is in the limelight because he is the first Indian bishop to be arrested and incarcerated. In the past, using their political influence and money power, church authorities in India have managed to sweep all such criminal activities under the carpet. With the advent of social media like Facebook and WhatsApp, and an active print and visual media, the ecclesiastical authorities are unable to keep the genie of clerical misdemeanors corked up in a bottle.
Several questions and issues have cropped up in my mind around Franco's case. Since when was clerical celibacy made compulsory? Why was it done? Why are church authorities protecting ecclesiastics found guilty of serious crimes like murder, rape, and pedophilia? How did these 'successors of Peter' amass so much wealth, forgetting the warning that Jesus made to the rich: 'it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven'? Again, have the church authorities forgotten what Jesus told the young man who asked him as to how to attain salvation: 'sell everything and follow me'? Has the Catholic church become a multinational company (MNC) with the Pope as CEO and the bishops, regional managers assisted by avaricious priests?
What does 'church' (ecclesia) mean? Is it the gathering of the faithful, as it originally meant or is the church = KCBC (Kerala Catholic Bishops' Conference) with the faithful merely meek lambs who blindly obey the ecclesiastical command "pay, pray and obey"? If members of the faithful or the media refer to Franco as the 'devil incarnate', does it imply that they are tarnishing the good name of the church? Members of KCBC go out of their way to rally around the accused since he is one of their own, but do they lift a finger in support of the traumatized nun? Is not the raped nun a member of the Catholic church? And moreover, as a member of a religious congregation, who has dedicated her life to the service of the church, is she not deserving of greater sympathy than an ordinary member of the faithful?
The raped nun had complained about the bishop's abuse to the local parish priest, to various bishops, to Cardinal Alancherry, to the Nuncio, to the Vatican itself with no response from any one of these worthies. In desperation, she filed a police complaint. Her colleagues and relatives took to the street in protest. The public joined in. Now, the skull-capped men in KCBC are bemoaning this protest since according to them it has put the Catholic church in a negative light. Here is a good example of a double standard!
It was reported in the media that Franco, prior to his questioning and arrest by Kerala police, stayed for two days with his entourage in Crown Plaza, one of the most expensive hotels in Ernakulam. It is rumored that the bill came to 50 lakh rupees. Where did this money come from? How transparent are the financial dealings of Indian bishops?
Many are wondering: how did Franco become a priest in the first place? What are the criteria for selection to the holy orders? How did this apparent criminal manipulate his way to the bishopric? How are bishops chosen in the Roman Catholic church?
I plan to discuss some of these issues in my future blogs.
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