The bishop faces other charge­s includ­ing unlawf­ul detent­ion, unnatu­ral sex and abuse of author­ityTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Police on Tuesday charged an Indian bishop with repeatedly raping a nun at a convent in Kerala state in a case that puts a new spotlight on sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic church. Franco Mulakkal was charged with raping the nun several times between 2014 and 2016, police deputy superintendent of Vaikom district, K. Subash, told AFP. Indian bishop granted bail in nun rape caseChristians — overwhelmingly Catholic — are the third-largest religious group in India. Sexual abuse by clergy and the failure to take action has mired the Roman Catholic Church in scandal across the world in recent years. In February, Pope Francis publicly addressed sexual abuse of nuns by clerics for the first time, insisting the Vatican takes seriously reports of sexual abuse and the “sexual slavery” of nuns.

Source: The Express Tribune April 09, 2019 13:07 UTC