WASHINGTON (DC)
National Public Radio
December 17, 2018
By Lauren Frayer
The narrow lane that leads to what may be India’s most infamous convent winds past spindly coconut palms and fat banana leaves flapping in the breeze. Tropical bird calls break through the muffled drone of female voices praying inside a house with pink stucco columns.
The bucolic setting, in the jungle of India’s southwestern Kerala state, is home to about a dozen Roman Catholic nuns who belong to the Missionaries of Jesus order. But their peace has been shattered by what allegedly happened here between 2014 and 2016.
One of the nuns says she was raped by a bishop more than a dozen times. The bishop, Franco Mulakkal, denies the nun’s accusations, and is out on bail. The Vatican has temporarily relieved him of his duties while he defends himself in court.
The alleged victim is huddled upstairs, under police guard in the convent. She has received death threats.
Meanwhile, her fellow nuns have become activists, staging street protests in her defense — a rebellion against India’s church leadership from within.
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