Indian order dismisses nun from religious life for disobedience

August 7, 2019 CNA Daily News News Briefs 2 Print

Kochi, India, Aug 7, 2019 / 11:54 am (CNA).- The superior general of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation dismissed from religious life Monday Sister Lucy Kalapura, who has been accused of several acts of disobedience, including a protest of the handling of another nun’s accusation that a bishop serially raped her.

Sr. Ann Joseph, superior general of the community, sent a letter to Sr. Lucy Aug. 5 saying that she has been dismissed from the religious community, a decision confirmed by the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

Sr. Lucy has led a life agaisnt the principles of religious life, the community says, by disobeying a transfer order, publishing poems after having been denied permission to do so, buying a vehicle, withholding her salary from the congregation, and participating in a protest against Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jullundur, who has been charged with several instances of raping a nun of a different congregation.

The letter from Sr. Ann Joseph said that Sr. Lucy “did not show the needed remorse and you failed to give a satisfactory explanation for your lifestyle in violation of the proper law of the FCC”, according to The News Minute.

Sr. Lucy had been sent a letter of warning Jan. 1, asking that she appear before Sr. Ann by Jan. 9 to explain her disobediences, or face expulsion from the congregation.

In January Sr. Lucy said that the congregation was trying to silence her, and denied any wrongdoing.

She was sent a second letter of warning in February, according to The News Minute. India Times reports that she “failed to respond to a notice issued against her in March”.

The congregation’s General Council, held May 11, voted unanimously to dismiss Sr. Lucy, and asked for confirmation from the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

The congregation granted confirmation, writing, “the same professed one remains freed from her religious profession and other obligations and separated from her Religious Congregation, and to be considered dismissed from her religious life, and to be considered as a simple layperson the other things to be done what are to be done according to the law.”

Sr. Lucy has 10 days to appeal the dismissal to the congregation.

“In case you accept this decree of dismissal without any recourse, as per canon law and as per the decree of confirmation, you will be freed from the obligations of the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience that you have taken in the Franciscan Clarist Congregation and you will have no more rights and duties in the Franciscan Clarist Congregation and hence, you are to leave the present community within 10 days from the reception of this communication, after having handed over your religious habit to the superior of your local community,” the letter reads.

Sr. Lucy said that “there is no fault on my part. I will not move out from the convent and I will fight against this (dismissal) legally.”

She is currently living at a convent near Mananthavady.

In the January letter of warning sent to Sr. Lucy, the superior general wrote that she joined a protest regarding Bishop Mulakkal “without the permission of your superior. You have published articles in some non-Christian newspapers and weeklies … gave interviews to ‘Samayam’ without seeking permission from the provincial superior. Through Facebook, channel discussions and the articles, you belittled the Catholic leadership by making false accusations against it and tried to bring down the sacraments. You tried to defame FCC also. Your performance through social media as a religious sister was culpable, arising grave scandal.”

The letter also said Sr. Lucy failed to obey a transfer order given her in 2015 by her provincial superior, and that she published a book of poems despite being denied permission to do so, and used 50,000 Indian rupees ($700) from the congregation’s account “without proper permission” to do so.

Sr. Kalapura is also accused of buying a car for about $5,670 and learning to drive without permission, and failing to entrust her salary from December 2017.

Sr. Ann Joseph called these acts “a grave infringement of the vow of poverty.”

The superior general added that Sr. Kalapura has been corrected and warned several times by her provincial over her “improper behaviour and violations of religious discipline.”

“Instead of correcting yourself, you are simply denying the allegations against you stating that you have to live your own beliefs, ideologies and conviction. You are repeatedly violating the vows of obedience and poverty. The evangelization and social work you do should be according to the FCC values, principles and rules. The present mode of your life is a grave violation of the profession you have made,” Sr. Ann Joseph wrote.

Another nun of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation, Sister Lissy Vadakkel, was transferred earlier this year from Muvattupuzha to Vijawada.

Sister Alphonas Abraham, superior of the FCC’s Nirmala Province, said in February that Sr. Lissy’s transfer was unrelated to her acting as a witness in the case against Bishop Mulakkal.

If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.

Related Articles

No Picture
News Briefs

Attendance limited at Black Nazarene Masses in Philippines

January 6, 2021 CNA Daily News 0

CNA Staff, Jan 6, 2021 / 05:19 pm (CNA).- Filippino churches and authorities will limit attendance for the Masses of the Black Nazarene – one of the country’s largest series of events, which usually gathers millions of people to Manila each year.

The Quiapo Church has instilled a 400-person cap for each of the 15 Masses that will take place on the Jan. 9 feast. This means only 6,000 will be able to attend services inside.

The parish is currently operating under the general community quarantine restrictions, which require religious services to limit capacity to 30 percent. Church officials attempted to expand the capacity to 50% but were denied.

“I hope we can just consider allowing at least 50 percent for more people to be accommodated inside the church and we are making sure that there is social distancing inside,” Fr. Douglas Badong, assistant pastor of Quiapo Church, told ABS-CBN.

For those who are not able to attend Mass inside Quiapo Church, large screens will be displayed outside the church so devotees unable to attend Mass can view it.

Instead of kissing the statue, a practice also known as pahalik, attendees will be able to venerate and pray with the statue, which will be visible on the church’s balcony.

“Instead of pahalik, there’s what we call paying tribute. We put the image of the Nazarene outside so people can pay a visit 24/7 wave their handkerchiefs as tribute to the Black Nazarene,” Badong said, according to ABS-CBN.

The priest discouraged attendees from bringing large replicas of the statue, which, in the past, have been processed on trucks. He said smaller images were fine.

Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Manila archdiocese, will celebrate the first Mass at 4:30 a.m. and Msgr. Hernando Coronel, rector of Quiapo Church, will preside over the last Mass at 10:15 p.m.

According to the authorities, people under the age of 15 or over the age of 65 will not be allowed to attend, CNS reported.

Church officials are working with government authorities to help stop the spread of the virus, such as the development of quick response codes to track outbreaks. Father Badong encouraged devotees to participate in the event safely and with compassion for others.

“Let’s observe discipline and care for each other. Don’t be overcome by stubbornness on this day,” he told ABS-CBN. “Even though there’s no procession, the celebration continues. We can only count on the Black Nazarene.”

Known as the traslacion, the 19-hour procession through the streets of Manila takes place each year on Jan. 9. Millions of pilgrims take part in the 7-kilometer procession.

In October, civil and ecclesial authorities in the Philippines agreed to cancel the Black Nazarene celebration in 2021.

The statue of the Black Nazarene is a kneeling Christ cloaked in a maroon robe and crowned with thorns. The life-sized statue bears a cross.

It was brought to the Philippines by Augustinian missionary priests in 1606. The statue is believed to have acquired its black color after being partially burnt when the ship carrying it caught fire on a voyage from Mexico.

Since then it has survived fires that destroyed its host church twice, two earthquakes, floods from numerous typhoons and bombings during World War II. The image is normally enshrined in Manila’s Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, popularly known as the Quiapo Church. Many miracles have been reported in connection with veneration of the statue.


[…]

2 Comments

  1. While I have no problem with the nun’s dismissal, because vows must be obeyed, I find it ironic that too many priest (one is too many) are in active homosexual relationships (obviously in flagrant disobedience to their vows, natural law, and God’s commandments) without any discipline or dismissal.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

All comments posted at Catholic World Report are moderated. While vigorous debate is welcome and encouraged, please note that in the interest of maintaining a civilized and helpful level of discussion, comments containing obscene language or personal attacks—or those that are deemed by the editors to be needlessly combative or inflammatory—will not be published. Thank you.


*