KURAVILANGAD (INDIA)
Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News) [Hong Kong]
January 21, 2026
By Jean D’Cunha
Sr Ranit Pallassery’s decision to speak as a survivor of sexual abuse confronts the misuse of authority within the Church
In the quiet of a convent, where silence is usually a receptacle for prayer, an asphyxiating silence took root at the Missionaries of Jesus Convent in Kuravilangad in 2014. For Sister Ranit Pallassery, bound by religious vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty, her sanctuary was transformed into a site of violation and dissolved before her.
Early this month, she became the first Indian nun to speak as a survivor of sexual abuse on camera and in print, sharing her agonizing but empowering journey of growth.
“I was overwhelmed by shock, fear, anxiety, confusion and later by anger and disgust that a bishop could exploit vulnerable women. I feared retaliation against my family and expulsion for transgressing my vows,” says Pallassery.
Court documents confirm that she confided in spiritual mentors and sent numerous petitions to Church authorities, including the Papal Nuncio and the Vatican. However, the institutional silence was absolute.
“That’s why it took so long, and that’s why I filed a police complaint in 2018,” she explains.
Her journey highlights the agonizing delay and loss survivors face when institutional power is used to bury the truth. “Throughout this time, I have been closely accompanied by a few congregational companions who stuck with me and faced a lot of pressure.”
In 2022, a court in Kottayam acquitted Bishop Mulakkal, whom Pallassery accused of violating her. It cited her delayed reporting of abuse between 2014 and 2016 as a reason for dismissing the credibility of her allegations.
“After losing the case, I faced harsh criticism from the Church and the public. People asked where I was, questioned my delayed reporting, suggested I had consented and was financially motivated, but I never received a single rupee from the bishop or diocese.”
Pallassery decided to speak out after a court in Ernakulam district acquitted a regional actor in Kerala, known by his stage name Dileep, in December 2025 in a high-profile case involving the abduction and rape of a well-known actress.
“Seeing a courageous celebrity actress lose, despite filing a report immediately, made me realize that even the most prominent survivors suffer the same systemic injustice — not just me. I decided to come out and speak.”
Both women faced hostile courtrooms, enduring aggressive cross-examinations intended to discredit them. They relived their trauma through blow-by-blow recounts and invasive medical examinations. This highlights a systemic failure to protect survivors in legal proceedings. Despite seemingly strong cases, the courts cited insufficient evidence, inconsistent statements by both, and an “inability to separate the grain from the chaff” in Pallassery’s case as grounds for acquittal.
“I hope more survivors speak out; our silence strengthens systemic abuse. I don’t know whether the Church or the state will be just to survivors of abuse in the future, but I must do my bit, even if it takes my whole life as a nun — my inner calling from the start — and even if I need to petition the Supreme Court.”
This stance redefines the notion of “surviving,” challenging the idea that a victim must disappear or leave their vocation to seek justice.
“I have also come forward to say I am here, to speak the truth against false, damaging judgments against me, and to share my experience of isolation.”
On Jan. 14, the Kerala government provided ration cards to help Pallassery and her fellow nuns to access subsidized food grains after she went public about their financial hardship.
Two days later, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan appointed her choice of counsel, former Law Secretary B.G. Harindranath, as Special Public Prosecutor to represent her in her High Court appeal.
Pallessery views these actions, along with her police protection, as vital state support during a period when she felt abandoned by the Church leadership.
Kochurani Abraham, a feminist theologian and founding member of Sisters in Solidarity (SIS), which supports Pallassery’s cause, says “the nun’s courageous decision to break her silence offers her personal liberation while striking a ‘thunderbolt’ blow to the secure foundations of systemic clerical abuse.”
“Such truth-telling is essential for dismantling oppressive power structures and restoring the Church’s credibility in its witness-bearing mission to set captives free — as Christ did.”
Pallessery’s grit well preceded her media interviews. Despite the 2022 loss, she immediately filed an appeal with the Kerala High Court, challenging the trial court’s disregard for critical evidence corroborating her testimony and its deviation from Supreme Court precedents in rape trials.
Her appeal also highlights the fiduciary relationship between a nun and bishop, explaining how institutional power dynamics delay reporting — a nuance the lower court failed to appreciate.
This shows that “fiduciary power” used to silence survivors is finally being named and challenged in the highest legal corridors.
By also appealing on grounds of collective safety for all women, Palleserry forces a re-examination of judicial protection regarding institutional abuse.
Though the appeal languished for four years without a hearing, her recent decision to break her silence triggered a breakthrough. The government’s subsequent appointment of a Special Public Prosecutor demonstrates that public testimony and support can bypass bureaucratic “red tape,” compelling the state to act sensitively.
When the M.J. congregational leadership withdrew her and her companions’ monthly stipend, they decided to stitch their economic and emotional lives back, stitching one intentional stitch at a time to produce garments — reclaiming their economic independence, self-esteem, and emotional calm.
When the congregational leadership insisted on Pallassery and her five companion nuns taking exclaustration (forced residence outside the community), after closing the canonically established convent in Kuravilangad village, Pallassery reiterated her entitlement to stay, as she continues being a nun with the congregation, and that exclaustration would “erase” her presence and her claim to justice as a nun.
She is grateful to Jallandhar diocese for allowing them to stay in the convent, providing for electricity, a microwave and supporting basic repair work which is underway.
By remaining in the convent and supporting herself, Pallassery asserts her religious identity while refusing to let the institution silence her pursuit of truth.
When depression and shame took hold, Pallassery turned to meditation and faith. By praying for strength, integrity, and her abusers’ realization, she decouples her spirituality from the institutional Church’s operations and its accountability deficits.
Trauma therapy helped Pallaserry realize that her “shame” was actually “displaced responsibility.” Recognizing that no one could appropriate her essential dignity, she regained her voice — speaking not from open wounds but from a place of sacred resilience and toughened skin.
Finally, her cohabiting nun companions and her communion with empathetic supporters — laypeople, activists, religious, and clergy who chose the Gospel over the institution — have helped transform her flickering spark of hope into a flame.
* Dr Jean D’Cunha is a gender expert with a continuing body of work on women’s labor migration, gender, climate change, conflict and migration. She worked with UN Women in senior management and technical positions worldwide and retired as Senior Global Advisor on International Migration and Decent Work. She advises the FABC/CBCI on climate issues. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.