A Christian priest along with five other nuns have been booked by the Vellamunda police station in Kerala for a defamatory video put up on YouTube to defame Sister Lucy Kalappura. Sister Lucy, who was expelled from the Franciscan Clarist Congregation last month on ‘disciplinarian grounds’ continues to face persecution from the church for protesting against rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal.
An officer from the station confirmed to TNM that Sr Lucy had filed a complaint on Tuesday night following which a case has been registered against Father Noble — a priest associated with the Mananthavady Diocese in Wayanad, and five nuns.
“We are still investigating the complaint. Right now, a case has been registered against the priest and nuns for misrepresenting facts and spreading defamatory content on Sr Lucy. A few church councillors have also been named but we are yet to find out who and how many,” the officer from Vellamunda station added.
On Tuesday, the said priest published a YouTube video of a CCTV footage which shows Sr Lucy entering the convent of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation along with two male journalists. The priest went on to defame Sr Lucy, alleging that she had engaged in an illicit affair inside the convent with the two men. A woman journalist named Bindu Milton, who is the wife of one of the two journalists seen in the video, was also present there. However, the video which was released, deliberately cut her out to misrepresent facts and attempted to shame Sr Lucy.
When the journalists who saw the video commented on it to clarify the incident and bust the false claim, Father Noble went on to delete their comments. According to reports, the CCTV visuals used by Father Noble for his rant were released to him by the church.
The nun has been facing harassment from the church ever since she protested against rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal. She was expelled from her convent in July on ‘disciplinarian grounds’.