The Congregation for Oriental Churches in the Vatican has rejected Sister Lucy Kalappura’s third appeal against her dismissal from the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) on August 7 last year. The Catholic nun of the FCC, under the Karakkamala church of the Syro-Malabar diocese, Mananthavady, was expelled for “failing to give a satisfactory explanation for her lifestyle in violation of rules.”
Sr. Lucy told The Hindu that she had got the reply from Vatican on Friday and she could not understand its content as it was in Latin. Only the covering letter of the reply was in English.
The covering letter said that her appeal had been rejected.
Sr. Lucy said the action against her was inhuman and she would fight it legally. “The decision is quite arbitrary as the Church is yet to hear me,” the nun said, adding that she would not leave the convent at any rate.
Court hearing
Sr. Lucy had submitted an appeal to the Munsif Court at Mananthavady in the district demanding a stay on the decision of the congregation to oust her from the convent at Karakkamala. “The court will consider the appeal on March 5,” she said, adding that whatever be the decision of the court, she would continue her life in the convent as a nun.
“I have served the congregation for more than 33 years and I have not done anything wrong. I have not led a life against the values of the Church. They cannot just throw me out. I will fight it legally,” Sr. Lucy said.
She attracted media attention after she came out in support of a group of Catholic nuns who protested in public against the rape of a colleague by bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar.
In September 2018, S.r Lucy participated in a public protest in Kochi, which drew the attention of her superiors, who accused her of breaching the rules of conduct of the congregation.
