The Knights of Columbus announced Thursday, July 10, that it will cover mosaics by accused abuser and priest Father Marko Rupnik in Washington, D.C., and Connecticut, the strongest public statement by a Catholic organization regarding the controversial art of Columbus. former Jesuit
The 2.1 million-member lay Catholic organization said July 11 that it will cover the floor-to-ceiling mosaics in the two chapels of the National Shrine of St. John Paul II in Washington, D.C., and the chapel at the Knights’ headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut, at least until the Vatican’s formal investigation into the Slovenian priest’s alleged abuse is completed.
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Patrick Kelly, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, told EWTN News on Thursday that the blackout fabric will be installed “very soon,” although he did not say when. The Knights indicated in a statement Thursday afternoon that the artwork could be permanently covered with plaster once the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issues its decision on Rupnik.
The Knights’ decision to cover these works of art, which span both spaces, was made after an exhaustive and confidential review process that included consultations with victims of sexual abuse and those who care for them, art historians, pilgrims to the sanctuary, bishops and theologians specializing in morals.
“The Knights of Columbus have decided to cover these mosaics because our first concern has to be the victims of sexual abuse, who have already suffered immensely in the Church, and who may be further hurt by the continued display of the mosaics in the sanctuary.” Kelly said in the statement.
“While opinions varied among those who were consulted,” he said, “there was a strong consensus to prioritize the needs of victims, especially since the allegations are current, unresolved and horrendous.”
Kelly reiterated this point in her interview with EWTN News.
“Our decision process was made with multiple factors, but number one was compassion for the victims,” Kelly stressed. “We need to prioritize victims over any material aspect. “That was our first consideration.”
The first part of Kelly’s interview with EWTN News will air on Thursday’s show EWTN News Nightly at 6 pm and 9 pm ET. There will be more comments and context in EWTN News In Depth on Friday at 8 pm ET.
Rupnik was once a renowned artist and his mosaics are in hundreds of shrines, churches and chapels around the world. In June 2023 he was expelled by the Jesuits.
Her expulsion followed a lengthy review of what the Society of Jesus considered “credible” accusations of spiritual, psychological and sexual abuse of at least 30 nuns over decades. Some women claim that Rupnik’s abuse occurred as part of the process of creating his art at the Aletti Center, an art school he founded in Rome.
At the end of October 2023, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had decided to reverse the prescription in the Rupnik caseallowing the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to conduct a canonical investigation into the abuse allegations.
There has been no further communication from the Vatican about the investigation and it is unclear whether Rupnik continues to live in Rome despite receiving priestly faculties in a diocese in his native country, Slovenia, last year.
Growing public protest
What to do with Rupnik’s once-praised works of artcolorful mosaics characterized by grandiose, fluid figures and big eyes, has been a divisive issue amid the numerous accusations against it, which came to light in December 2022.
While some want to wait for the Vatican’s judgment before dismantling and replacing Rupnik’s works, many of them made in collaboration with other artists at the Aletti Center, the Public outcry for the removal of his art has intensified.
The Knights have also announced several immediate changes that would be put in place at the shrine, in solidarity with victims of abuse, including the provision of educational material about the mosaics, making clear that their exposure during the consultation process “was not intended to ignore, deny or diminish accusations of abuse.”
Likewise, each Mass at the National Shrine of Saint John Paul II will now also include a prayer by the faithful for victims of sexual abuse, and saints related to victims of abuse will be especially commemorated, such as Saint Josephine Bakhita.
The group said it became aware of the allegations against Rupnik in December 2022, and noted that the artist, although under investigation, remains a priest in good standing in the diocese of Koper, Slovenia.
“This decision is based on a founding purpose of the Knights of Columbus, which is to protect families, especially women and children, and those who are vulnerable and voiceless,” Kelly said in the July 11 statement. .
The National Shrine of Saint John Paul II is a pastoral initiative of the Knights of Columbus, established in 2011 and recognized in 2014 as a national shrine by the Catholic bishops of the United States.
Rupnik mosaics were installed in the sanctuary in 2015, while the Chapel of the Holy Family, at the Knights’ headquarters, has featured Rupnik art since 2005.
Highlighting the evangelization mission of the Shrine of John Paul II, the supreme knight said: “the art we sponsor must serve, therefore, as a stepping stone – not an obstacle – towards faith in Jesus Christ and his Church.”
Rupnik has not made a statement since the allegations came to light.
An eye on Lourdes
The Knights’ decision to hide the mosaics comes just a week after the bishop of Lourdes, France, declared that, despite his personal opinion that Rupnik’s artwork in the famed Marian shrine should be removed, has decided wait to make a final decision due to “strong opposition from some.”
After forming a special commission in May 2023, the Bishop of Tarbes, Bishop Jean-Marc Micas, announced on July 2 that more time was needed “to discern what should be done” with the Rupnik mosaics at the site. the Marian apparitions, because their conviction that they should be demolished “would not be sufficiently understood” and “would add even more division and violence.”
As a “first step,” the French bishop noted that he had decided that the mosaics would no longer be illuminated at night during the nightly candlelight rosary processions held in the sanctuary.
In his interview with EWTN News, Kelly said the Bishop of Lourdes’ intention to make a decision this spring encouraged the Knights to act now.
In his July 11 statement, Kelly thanked the bishop of Lourdes for his “considered decision” and noted that he “has informed and confirmed us in our own decision-making. Shrines are places of healing, prayer and reconciliation. They must not cause more suffering to the victims”.
Highlighting the importance of discernment based on mission and context, the supreme knight said: “Every situation is different. In the United States, Catholics continue to suffer in unique ways from revelations of sexual abuse and, at times, from the response of “We are clear that, as a national sanctuary, our decision must respect the special need for healing in this country.”
The Knights of Columbus was founded in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1882 by Blessed Michael McGivney, pastor. Dedicated to promoting the group’s key principles – charity, unity, brotherhood and patriotism – its members contributed, in 2022, 50 million hours of service and almost $185 million to charitable causes in their communities.
Shannon Mullen, editor-in-chief of the National Catholic Register, contributed to this article.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published inCNA.
Hannah Brockhaus
Hannah Brockhaus is Rome correspondent for Catholic News Agency. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a bachelor’s degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.