In what is being seen as a relief to Franco Mulackal, the Bishop of Jallandhar, who was acquitted by a Kerala court in January this year in an alleged rape case, Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the Catholic community around the globe, accepted the court verdict.
This was announced by the Apostolic Nuncio in Jallandhar while addressing a religious congregation.
“The Vatican has accepted the court verdict. Thus, the truth that was in the court of God has come through the court of the country and accepted by the Church,” Bishop Franco Mulackal said in a release to the media. Stage is set for the return of the Bishop to the Jallandhar Diocese soon.
For the first time since he was arrested and put on trial by a Kerala court following the complaint by a nun that she was raped multiple times by him, the Bishop stated that there was a major conspiracy to pin him down in the fabricated case. “I do not hold any grudge against the nun or her supporters or the cops,” said Bishop Franco in a message to the laity. The Bishop also said that there were attempts by the police to fabricate charges against him to substantiate the allegations of rape.
“The police collected a set of night dress that I wear as material evidence. Though my colleagues asked me not to hand over the night dress, I reminded them about my assurance that the I would cooperate with the police. The next day when I was produced in court, I told the judge that the cops had collected a set of night dress from me. Though the police denied it, they were issued notice by the judge which made them own up and concede in the court that they had collected the night dress,” said the Bishop.