Witness in case of alleged rape of nun in India found dead
A witness in
the trial of an Indian Catholic bishop accused of raping a nun has died,
according to police, prompting a probe into his death.
Father
Kuriakose Kattuthara was around 62 years old, police said. He died just weeks
after giving his testimony in the case against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who has been
accused of raping a nun on multiple occasions over two years.
Mulakkal,
who is based in northern Punjab state, is accused of raping the nun during
visits to Kerala state in the south of India. He denies the charges and is
currently out on bail, awaiting trial.
"He
(Kattuthara) passed away last night. We are going to investigate the
circumstances around his death and there will be an autopsy," said A.R.
Sharma, a senior police official in Punjab.
Kattuthara
was a priest in the village of Dasuya in Punjab. He was among dozens of
witnesses who are due to testify in Mulakkal's trial in Kerala.
The case is
a rare example of a nun publicly accusing a Church superior of wrongdoing.
Mulakkal's
arrest in September followed weeks of protest by nuns in Kerala calling for his
prosecution.
Last week, a
local court in Kerala granted him bail, attaching the condition that he leave
the state, except for his appearances before investigators. Following his
release, he returned to Punjab to a hero's welcome, with supporters cheering as
he made his way home.
Claim of 13
instances
The
44-year-old nun, who has not been named, first filed a police report in June,
accusing Mulakkal of raping her 13 times between 2014 and 2016. She alleged the
abuse occurred while Mulakkal was staying in Kerala in a guest house belonging
to the St. Francis Mission Home.
At the time,
Mulakkal was the bishop of Jalandhar, a city in Punjab. His diocese said the
bishop was a frequent visitor to Kerala for church-related events.
Earlier in
August, an advocacy group filed a petition on behalf of the nun, asking for the
immediate arrest of Mulakkal, but the Kerala High Court declined to intervene,
saying the delay in bringing charges was understandable given the amount of
time that has passed since the alleged abuse. As the case dominated headlines
in India, Mulakkal temporarily stepped down from his position in September.
It was the
second time in two months the nun's supporters had unsuccessfully petitioned
the court to intervene, leading to renewed accusations that state politicians
and Catholic leaders were working behind the scenes to suppress the case.
The Catholic
Church has been battling allegations of sexual abuse around the world,
especially against minors, for years. In an unusually blunt letter released
last month, Pope Francis acknowledged that the church had historically failed
to address properly wrongdoing by priests.
Christianity
is a minority religion in India, practiced by 2.3% of the population, according
to the most recent census data, but Kerala is home to a sizable Christian
community that dates back hundreds of years. The majority are Catholics.
According to
recent government figures, the southern state is home to more than 6 million
Christians, or 19% of the population. Communities there draw their heritage
from Thomas the Apostle, who is traditionally believed to have traveled to
India to preach the gospel in the first century.
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