The prosecution formally appeals acquittal of an Indian bishop, Franco Mulakkal, in a 2018 rape case. The appeal claims the trial court downplayed the evidence the Catholic sister and witnesses provided.
The acquittal of Bishop Franco Mulakkal was disappointing to many of us. I feel the need for speaking up in defense of our sisters, and sounding a wake-up call for us as women religious.
A national forum of Catholic women in India demanded "absolute transparency and accountability" in the way the church handles sex abuse cases, via a letter sent to the church hierarchy in the Vatican and India.
Weeks after a not-guilty verdict was pronounced in favor of Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, assessments raise questions of fairness, influence and progress in the church's response to abuse accusations.
