Nun's autobiography reveals churches' sexual harassment

A nun in Kerala is raising serious sexual allegations against the churches in Kerala, especially sexual harassment being faced by young nuns from priests, in her autobiography.

Sister Lucy Kalappura, who was a member of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation under the Roman Catholic Church, even says in the autobiography that she had faced sexual harassment at least four times.

Sister Lucy, who was with the Mananthavady diocese at Wayanad in Kerala, had faced expulsion order from the congregation after she supported the nun who was allegedly sexually harassed by the former bishop of Jalandhar, Franco Mulakkal. The autobiography in Malayalam titled 'Karthavinte Namathil' (In the name of God), is scheduled to be published by a leading publishing house next week.

Sister Lucy alleges that many priests who arrive as visitors at convents of nuns were sexually harassing nuns. She said that she faced four sexual harassment attempts after she became a nun. There also used to be many instances of young nuns being forced to go to churches. She also alleges that there were instances of senior nuns sexually exploiting young nuns.

Sister Lucy alleged that an instance of a nun delivering a child happened in Kerala and the priest who impregnated her was protected by the church. She also recollected an instance of a priest making lewd remarks to a young devotee and the priest was forced by the girl's family to apologise.

Sister Lucy said that all that she had written in the autobiography were facts and she hoped that it would help in bringing some changes to the harassment faced by nuns. She also said that many nuns had an autobiography like hers in their minds but were not publishing owing to fear, she said.