Rape, Abuse & Affairs: Sister Lucy Spills Secrets of the Church
Sister Lucy’s autobiography, ‘Karthavinte Namathil’ has accounts of sexual abuse by priests within the church.
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Karthavinte Namathil, which translates to ‘In the name of Christ’, is the account of the life of Sister Lucy Kalapura, a nun in a Catholic church in Kerala.
She stirs up controversies in her 203-page book, written in Malayalam, with accounts of sexual abuse by priests, exploitation and illicit relationships within the church.
It was only in August that she was expelled by the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) citing ‘serious indiscipline.’ But the nun had retorted saying she was being victimised for standing up against Franco Mullakkal, a bishop facing rape charges.
“It is a collection of my memoirs. It is not fiction but the hard truth. I wish church authorities accept some of these realities to stem the rot. Most of the time, they are in denial mode and try to brush it aside,” the nun said, as per a report in Hindustan Times.
Sister Lucy has also written about the ‘chauvinistic authority of the clergy’ and how many nuns give in to their ‘sexual desires.’
(The following excerpt has been taken, with permission, from Chapter 31 of ‘Karthavinte Namathil’ by Sister Lucy Kalapura, published by DC Books)
(The sub-headings and photographs are not part of the book, and have been added by The Quint)
The Distasteful Tutor
My friend's daughter, who was a postgraduate student, approached me for getting certain doubts cleared. I suggested a priest who was well versed in the subject. My friend and her daughter also accompanied me to meet him. But I left from there early since I was busy with the duties of the church. My friends and her daughter's requirements were properly taken care of and on reaching back home they rang me up to express their gratitude.
The very next day, this priest telephoned the girl. To his question as to whether she is doing good, the girl replied yes, quite innocently. The priest then started delivering lustful dialogues at the other end.
Screaming ‘Oh mom’, she handed over the phone to her mother immediately. The incident came as a shock to the family and they complained to me. I rang him up directly and informed about the family's strong protest. They could be pacified only after long sessions of negotiation talks. Eventually the priest apologised to the girl and her family and thus the problem somehow got settled.
Nuns Pushed Into Sexual Abuse
I'm aware that in certain nunneries there exists a practice of pushing the new generation nuns to the priests. These sisters are forced to endure severe sexual perversions in the Presbytery. The priests will leave them naked in front of them for hours and enjoy it.
They are such kind of ruthless sex maniacs that even when the nuns complain of being tired, they will not pay heed to them or show the courtesy to release them. I have come to know from various sources that the young junior nuns who have joined the nunnery are forced to have homosexual relations with senior nuns.
The training which the nuns get to simplify or lessen their self conflicts becomes a burden on their shoulders in reality, preventing them from complaining. There are certain circumstances in which the priests who are counselling experts follow these nuns regularly.
A young nun who had to visit the Presbytery with a senior nun had to do peculiar sexual deeds.
Forced Gay Sex, Scars for Life
The story of a priest who had to face mental breakdown consequent to forced gay sex is quite pitiable.
He had to face these sexual perversions continuously for about a year. The priest who reached back home as a mentally ill patient gave up priesthood later on.
Another seminarian also had disclosed a similar incident to me. A priest, one among the church authorities, motivated this student to come down to his room and involve in gay sex. When the guy resisted, he was forcefully made to lie down and the priest tied him to the cot. Since the guy was scared to present this to his family, he left that monastery seeking another one to join.
Courtship in the Name of Friendship
There are a good lot of examples to the intrigues which the priests plot to visit nunneries after sunset, escaping the eyes of the spectators outside. They come in the pretext of visiting their nun-friends. Their stay in the visitor's room is quite cosy too. They will have the luxury of all comforts including rich food. The priest indulges in safe sex with his friend for hours.
Early morning next day, before leaving the nunnery, he presents mother superior with a photo frame within which there would be an illustrious picture of holy spirit – thus everything ends quite peacefully. 'Oh Father...quite beautiful a piece... from where did you get this pretty one... we are lucky to have it. We will affix it here itself permanently.' The nuns who forget themselves in joy will utter.
There are a good lot of similar experiences which were either heard from others or which were shared with me directly by the victims themselves. The experience of a nun belonging to another congregation is one such story. She was employed in an institution run by the archdiocese of Thalasserry in North Kerala.
Her colleagues were priests. One day, she reached the provincial house complaining of a severe stomach pain. She was taken to a hospital, and after the medical examination, she was taken straight to the labor room. The congregation entrusted the baby to her family. The priest who was responsible for this is still continuing his priesthood as before.
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