Overview

• Sister Anupama Kelamangalathuveliyil, a key figure in the 2018 protest against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, has officially left her religious congregation and rejoined her family in Alappuzha, Kerala.
• The protest, sparked by allegations of rape against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, was the first public challenge by nuns to the authority of the Catholic Church in India.
• Despite Bishop Mulakkal's acquittal in 2022 due to lack of evidence, the survivor nun has appealed the verdict, and the case is currently pending before the Kerala High Court.
• Sister Anupama and other nuns faced significant backlash and ostracization from the Church for their advocacy, with several of them receiving transfer orders and enduring isolation.
• Two other nuns who participated in the protest have also left their congregation in recent years, underscoring the lasting impact of the struggle for justice within the Church.