A NEW REVELATION.....
Valson Thampu
--LAUNCHING MY MEMOIR TITLED "ON A STORMY COURSE: MY YEARS IN ST. STEPHEN'S" PUBLISHED BY HACHETTE INDIA.
BISHOP FRANKO ACQUITTED....
This the beginning, not the end of the story.....
No judicial verdict in living memory has disappointed and dispirited so many as the verdict in the Franko Mulakkal rape case. He is found innocent for want of evidence (the essence of the verdict, as sensed by the general public, is in the cartoon attached). Apparently the prosecution failed to make out a convincing case. Whether this bespeaks incompetence or something else, is a matter of opinion. I have nothing to say on the matter.
As was to be expected, the acquitted defendant wasted no time in covering himself with the religious aura. He rushed to a church and led a worship. The setting was perfect. The portrait of Jesus Christ, his crucified arms outstrechd, constitutig the backdrop, Franco showcased his oneness with the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
I won't be surprised if the process for beatifying him and making him a saint is commenced in the near future. At least he is rich enough to be one.
But there is bad news for Franko and for those who celebrate this dubious victory sporting the mask of artificial joy and conviction.
THE RAPE VICTIM HAS DECIDED TO COME OUT AND TELL THE STORY AS IT IS. So, we may get to know the truth that the court could not find or establish.
She will not be crushed under the iron heels of the Catholic Establishment. She will not remain facelEss and voiceless. She will tell the truth, court or no court, church or no church.
I consider this to be a most significant beginning. Events are going to snow ball.....
When the VICTIM speaks, something SPIRITUAL happens. She ceases to be a victim. She gets transformed into a witness to the truth. She not only gains power. She becomes power. I feel sorry for the likes of Francko. How will they cope with this spiriutal storm, the like of which they have no idea of.
Those nuns, who suffer their degradation and physical exploitation in SILENCE are betraying their spiritual calling. They were called to be THE BRIDES OF JESUS. How can they, in that case, remain silent about their enforced corruption and physical violation? To be silent is to be complicit.
By remaining silent they perpetuate their misery and encourage predators. This makes them seem complicit in their degradation.
Jesus came to set human beings free. How can you remain sex-slaves, as Pope Francis says you do?
Those who endure this satanic oppression in silence are on the side of SATAN.
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Remember, Jesus is the Word. If you are in Jesus, you will speak out the truth. I am glad that the raped sister has decided to be the WORD in this context.
There is no power greater than the power of truth. The Frankos of this world may escape the arm of the law. But they will crumble under the power of the WORD that the victim-transformed-into-a prophet will speak to the conscience of humanity. Who knows the truth like the victim does?
When victims speaks oppressors tremble!
At this time, my mind goes back to my meeting with the raped nun in the convent in Kurvavilangad. As she came and sat next to me, my heart crumbled. Words failed me. I sensed an envelope of dark sadness about her. Also, the gooey presence of the rapist somewhere behind her. I smelled rape. I heard the cry behind the rape. I heard the crash and the distant thunder.
In a flash I knew the TRUTH.
So, this I know. The story is not over. It is just beginning. The truth will out. It will spring up like a tiger from the backyard of the patriarchal aggression against the weak and the vulnerable.
I appeal to Keralites, irrespetive of religious or gender differences, to lend their ears and hearts to the voice of this modern day prophetess. Think of her no longer as a victim. The denial of justice to her has awakened the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth, within her.
In the Old Testament, Prophet Nathan pointed a sword-like finger at King David and said, 'You are the man!'.
In our times a prophetess is about to arise. She will point her flaming finger at the fellow and say, 'You are the man!'
Let us wait for that stirring day.
The cartoon attached is from a friend of mine I love and respect dearly. I have seen nothing as brilliant in its satirical genius as this in recent times.
The acertbity of the cartoon shows how the people of Kerala -folks who have nothing to do with this heart-breaking event and the miscarriage of justice- feel about it.
The conscience of Keralites, thank God, is not dead. Long live justice.
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