Severed from the diocese, Indian nuns linked to rape case stitch up a safety net

Srs. Ranit Pallassery, center, poses for a photo with her two supporters, Ancitta Urumbil, left, and Alphy Pallasseril, right. (Binu Alex)

"Collective of survivors of gender-based violence" has become the identity statement of the business three nuns started in India, where they once campaigned against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of rape.

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Voices of Sisters

Editors' Choice

(GSR graphic/Olivia Bardo; photo: OSV News)

In Focus

Will 'nun girl summer' give way to another season of sisters?

Following a summer in which nuns dominated pop culture headlines and social media algorithms, one sister wonders if the trend leads to a much-needed season of synodality.

News

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Irish sister brings front-line missionary perspective to Vatican curial role

In accepting her dual appointment as head of the Vatican's missionary network and as adjunct secretary at the Dicastery for Evangelization, Sr. Mary Teresa Barron said it was clear the church prioritized lived missionary experience over theological acumen.

Srs. Ranit Pallassery, center, poses for a photo with her two supporters, Ancitta Urumbil, left, and Alphy Pallasseril, right. (Binu Alex)

Severed from the diocese, Indian nuns linked to rape case stitch up a safety net

"Collective of survivors of gender-based violence" has become the identity statement of the business three nuns started in India, where they once campaigned against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of rape.

Apostolic Carmel Sr. Maria Nirmalini, the head of the Conference of Women Religious India, meets with Abhijeet Dipke, the leader of the Gen Z movement in India, at a protest rally at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on July 23. (Courtesy of Maria Nirmalini)

Catholic nuns support India's youth struggles for educational reform

"We stand with the youth in their fight for justice," said Sr. Maria Nirmalini, leader of India's more than 100,000 Catholic nuns

St. Joseph of the Apparition Sr. Muna Totah dances at a festival that brought together youth from Galilee and youth from the St. James Vicariate in Jerusalem in October 2025. (Courtesy of St. James Vicariate)

Q&A with Sr. Muna Totah, bridging divides in a Jewish-Arab-Catholic city in Israel

Totah serves as director of a Sister of St. Joseph of the Apparition school with Arab students and works with the youth of the Hebrew-speaking Catholic community in the St. James Vicariate. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Catholic sisters and laywomen lead efforts to put synodality into practice in El Salvador

Indian nuns bring hope to hearing-impaired students and their parents

Hilton Humanitarian Prize affirms the work of community-based healthcare

Feature Series

LCWR 2026

The Leadership Council of Women Religious, or LCWR, will meet Aug. 11-14 in Orlando, Florida, with the theme, "Many Charisms, One Spirit, One Call" as the organization celebrates its 70th anniversary.
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Theologians' Corner

Welcome to Theologians' Corner, where each week a different woman theologian from around the world offers a fresh reflection on the Sunday readings. Because these reflections come from diverse voices and rich perspectives, they invite readers to see the Gospel in new and deeper ways.
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Sister Advocacy at UN

Global Sisters Report is covering Catholic sisters' advocacy at the United Nations.
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Religious Life

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Srs. Ranit Pallassery, center, poses for a photo with her two supporters, Ancitta Urumbil, left, and Alphy Pallasseril, right. (Binu Alex)

Severed from the diocese, Indian nuns linked to rape case stitch up a safety net

"Collective of survivors of gender-based violence" has become the identity statement of the business three nuns started in India, where they once campaigned against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of rape.

The Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Office and Detention Center March 7, 2026, in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. The facility also serves as an ICE detention center. (OSV News/St. Louis Review/Jacob Wiegand)

Monday Starter: St. Joseph Sisters stand against ICE, defend sacraments for detainees

Plus, a sister in Argentina is sentenced to 20 years for abusing hearing-impaired children, and the Sisters of St. Martha in Canada give up the hospital the congregation founded.

Pope Leo XIV looks at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes from the hill of the Carmelite Monastery of Lourdes in France, Sept. 27, 2026, after a private meeting with contemplative religious sisters. Three days later, Leo met with a group of Dominican contemplatives at the Vatican. (CNS/Vatican Media)

Pope Leo XIV urges contemplative nuns to resist a 'spirit of survival'

"Keeping silence is an act of the will that engages the whole person and helps to cultivate solid relationships, because they are animated by the Word of God," Leo told the Dominican contemplatives.

An artist rendering of the Monastery of Jesus, Mary and Joseph the Fairfield Carmelites are constructing in Fairfield, Pennsylvania. (Courtesy of the Fairfield Carmelites)

Pennsylvania nuns build stone monastery designed to last 'a thousand years'

The $100 million project, expected to take about 15 years, is reviving centuries-old masonry techniques to create a self-sustaining monastery complex that will eventually house up to 40 sisters.

Community News

Ministry

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Irish sister brings front-line missionary perspective to Vatican curial role

In accepting her dual appointment as head of the Vatican's missionary network and as adjunct secretary at the Dicastery for Evangelization, Sr. Mary Teresa Barron said it was clear the church prioritized lived missionary experience over theological acumen.

Sister Veronica, a member of the Little Sisters of St. Francis, shows a representative of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation produce from the Divine Mercy Green Farm her order operates in Nakuru, Kenya. (CNS/Handout, Missio Invest, Pontifical Missionary Societies in the United States)
Voices of Sisters

At work on the last mile: Catholic sisters are local leaders in development

As global aid declines, Catholic sisters offer a powerful lesson in sustainable development: Lasting change is built on trust, local leadership, and the people who remain long after funding ends.

Srs. Rocío García Villegas, Christine Masivo and Angella Rwezaula, participants in the Pentecost Project, are pictured during their communications training at the Vatican News studios in the Dicastery for Communication at the Vatican. (Courtesy of Sr. Rocío García Villegas)
Voices of Sisters

For one Catholic sister, communication becomes a missionary vocation

Horizons - "There are stories that don't seek the spotlight," writes Sr. Rocío García Villegas. "They just need someone who has the courage to stop, look at them and not walk right past them."

Sr. Alice Kasmel Vadakkethundil, member of the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy, interacts with students at Karuna Speech and Hearing Higher Secondary School in Kozhikode, a town in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. (George Kommattam)

Indian nuns bring hope to hearing-impaired students and their parents

At the Karuna Speech and Hearing school in southwestern India, Daughters of our Lady of Mercy create bonds with students and parents that "are forever."

GSR in the Classroom

Youth in a classroom raising their hands to answer questions

The project shines light on the mission and ministry of Catholic women religious around the world.

Each lesson connects articles about sisters or columns written by sisters to the good news found in scripture and church teaching. Action ideas and compelling prayer bring new learning alive. Teacher guides provide vital context and engaging activities to launch group discussions.