Following the reception of fresh evidence against the mosaic artist Fr. Marko Rupnik, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has extended its inquiry. This development aligned with an independent press conference conducted by two individuals claiming to be victims of Rupnik.
Anne Barrett Doyle of Bishop Accountability exclaimed, “It takes courage to come forward against Father Marko Rupnik, a powerful cleric who has been protected at the highest levels of the Jesuits and the Vatican.”
Two alleged abuse victims of mosaic artist Father Marko Rupnik spoke publicly for the first time on Wednesday, February 21st, detailing the tactics the former Jesuit allegedly used to manipulate them and to demand transparency from the Vatican and a full accounting of the prelates who covered for him for 30 years.
Italian Gloria Branciani and Slovenian-born Marjiam Kovač, former members of the now-dissolved Loyola Community in Slovenia, shared their stories at a press conference in the Rome offices of the trade union for Italian journalists detailing the spiritual, psychological, and sexual abuse they suffered.
Mirjam Kovac, alleged victim of sexual abuse by Marko Rupnik, shared, “We are very happy to have met again with the other sisters, but at the same time we are sorry because the institutions, instead of taking a cue from our experience to review their own way of acting, continue to close themselves in silence, in silence that we perceive as a rubber wall that rebounds every attempt to cure this unhealthy situation.”
After facing criticism regarding the management of Rupnik's case by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in October of the previous year, Pope Francis decided to lift the statute of limitations in Rupnik's case. He instructed the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to initiate a comprehensive canonical process. And in December of last year, the Vatican issued an order to close the religious female community “Loyola,” co-founded by Rupnik.
Marko Rupnik became famous for his mosaics that decorate churches and shrines around the world, including San Giovanni Rotondo, Fatima, and Lourdes. The faithful are divided over whether to keep the mosaics or have them removed. Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Lourdes shared with EWTN that he established a special Commission to explore what to do with the mosaics. The Commission will make a decision this spring.
In this regard, his excellency said, “It's a very difficult decision to make, but I must make it and I'm waiting on it. And well, this occupies my mind and my prayer and my heart every day, especially when I meet victims of abuse and well, I very often say that the decision we'll make here is made for Lourdes and only for Lourdes and cannot be extended to any other place where there are mosaics. Because Lourdes is Lourdes. And it is for the weak, the sick, the special, and well, we have to serve that message.”
The Jesuits asked Rupnik to leave their society last year after he refused to respond to allegations of spiritual, psychological, and sexual abuses by 20 women. Amidst the ongoing investigation by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith into the accusations against Rupnik, the Diocese of Koper in Slovenia, which welcomed him last year, emphasizes that Rupnik is ‘presumed innocent’ until proven guilty.
Adapted by Jacob Stein
