Priest who gave statement against rape accused Bishop found dead

Jalandhar, Oct 22: A priest who had given a statement against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who is accused of raping a Kerala nun, was today found dead in Jalandhar.

Father Kuriakose Kattuthara, 60, was found dead on Monday morning in his room at St Paul's Church in Dasuya town.

While the family suspects foul play, the police are still ascertaining the actual cause of death. He did not have any major role as a witness but was one among the many 100 who were questioned in connection with the case against Bishop Franco. His family has filed a complaint alleging that he had feared for his life and had been attacked earlier.

Recently he had told Mathrubhumi in an interview that he had been threatened and he "feared what would happen if he spoke out against Bishop Franco Mulakkal".

Franco Mulakkal, a senior priest accused of repeatedly raping a nun between 2013 and 2016, was released from a prison in Kerala on bail last week. He was welcomed by his supporters with rose petals and garlanded when he arrived in Jalandhar.

The nun in her complaint had alleged that she had been raped 13 times during his visits to a convent in Kottayam, a charge that the Bishop has denied.

The nun had written to the Vatican following his Franco gave his pastoral duties at the Jalandhar diocese of the Missionaries of Jesus. He had been arrested and then granted bail after three weeks.

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