The Jesuits are calling on victims to come forward in case of abuse of the artist
VATICAN — Pope Francis’ Jesuit order on Sunday urged all victims to come forward with complaints against the famed Jesuit artist, who the Vatican has essentially let off the hook twice despite devastating testimonies from women who said he sexually and spiritually abused them.
The Jesuits demanded new evidence against pastor Marko Ivan Rupnik and offered a timeline of his case to mitigate the scandal.
The Slovenian priest is relatively unknown among regular Catholics, but well known in the hierarchy, as he is one of the most sought-after church artists. His mosaics adorn chapels, churches and basilicas around the world.
The scandal erupted last week after the Jesuits admitted he had been excommunicated for committing one of the worst crimes in the Catholic Church – using a confessional to absolve a woman he had sex with.
He was excommunicated in May 2020, but the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith lifted the excommunication later this month after he repented, an unusually quick turnaround for such a serious offense.
A year later, the same congregation decided not to prosecute him for a second allegation of spiritual and sexual abuse by a former nun, declaring that the statute of limitations had expired. The congregation, which regularly waives the statute of limitations, is led by a Jesuit prefect, has a Jesuit prosecutor for sex crimes and former no. 2, who lived in Rupnik’s Jesuit community.
The congregation did not respond to requests for information about the case, which revealed the Vatican’s general refusal to treat the spiritual and sexual abuse of adult women as a punishable crime. On the contrary, the Vatican has long treated such abuse as a mere loss of priestly purity that can be forgiven without regard to the trauma it causes to the victims.
The Jesuit call came on the same day that the Italian newspaper Domani published the most explosive testimony of a former nun who complained in 2021. She described years of sexual abuse and spiritual manipulation by Rupnik and said she repeatedly tried to get him drawers. only to face the Jesuits and other superiors who routinely protected Rupnik at her expense.
“It was truly an abuse of conscience,” said the nun, who was not identified, but her account was confirmed to The Associated Press by someone familiar with the case.
“His sexual obsession was not impromptu, but was deeply connected to his concept of art and his theological thinking. Father Marko began to slowly and sweetly infiltrate my psychological and spiritual world, taking advantage of my insecurities and fragility and using my relationship with God to push me into sexual experiences with him.”
She said that her first complaint about his behavior was in Slovenia in 1994, but that it was ignored as Rupnik’s community – first in Slovenia, then in Rome – grew and gained international support.
In the meantime, other sisters were similarly harmed, she said, describing the use of pornography, humiliation and multiple partners “in the image of the Holy Trinity” in Rupnik’s spiritual and sexual abuse.
The scandal was further compounded by the contradictory statements of the Jesuits.
After the first allegations about the 2021 complaint were published on Italian blogs and websites this month, the Jesuits issued a statement referring only to the 2021 case. , admitted that Rupnik had previously been excommunicated for a crime related to the confession.
Sosa said that Rupnik’s work was restricted and he was forbidden from confessing, giving spiritual guidance and conducting spiritual exercises. However, Rupnik is listed as scheduled to hold spiritual exercises from February 13 to 17 at the Marian shrine of Loreto on Italy’s Adriatic coast, according to the Loreto website.
On Sunday, Rupnikov’s immediate superior, priest Johan Verschueren, said he wanted to try to clarify some of the questions that have arisen in connection with the case. In a statement, he urged anyone with old or new allegations to come forward. He provided an email address: [email protected].
“My main concern in all of this is those who have suffered and I invite anyone who wants to file a new complaint or wants to discuss complaints that have already been made to contact me,” he said.
He said complaints would be accepted in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and German.