In latest update regarding Kerala nun accusing Bishop of rape, Catholic priest Franco Mulakkal has written a letter to the Pope, offering to "step aside temporarily" as Bishop of the Jalandhar Diocese, the Church said Monday. The case in recent times has taken an ugly turn as both parties have accused each other and the situation has worsened.

A spokesman of the diocese told PTI that the Bishop wrote to the Pope Sunday. Bishop Franco Mulakkal has written "a letter to Holy Father Pope Francis expressing his desire to step aside temporarily and requested to be relieved from the administration of the diocese," the Jalandhar diocese said in a release.