Marko Rupnik Case: Cardinal O’Malley and 5 victims of abuse speak out about his works

Cardinal Seán O’Malley, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) and member of the C9 that advises Pope Francis, called for caution with Marko Rupnik’s works of art, while 5 alleged victims asked for the removal of the works of art of the priest expelled from the Jesuits and who faces an investigation at the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).

Rupnik’s mosaics are in different places around the world: the Vatican, the Sanctuary of Lourdes (France); the monastery of Santo Domingo de la Calzada or the cathedral of La Almudena in Madrid (Spain), the Sanctuary of Aparecida (Brazil), among others.

The Archbishop of Boston (United States) also wrote a letter to the dicasteries of the Vatican Curia in which he encourages “pastoral prudence to avoid showing works of art in a way that could leave implicit exoneration. or the subtle defense” of priests accused of abuse “or expressing indifference to the pain and suffering of many abuse victims.”

“We have to avoid sending the message that the Holy See is oblivious to the psychological anguish that many are suffering,” the cardinal stressed, in a carta sent on behalf of the commission on June 26.

In the note on the letter, published this Friday the 28th, one day before Cardinal O’Malley’s 80th birthday — which will mean he will no longer be a cardinal elector in a future conclave to elect the next Pope — it is indicated that “in recent months , victims and survivors of abuse of power, spiritual abuse and sexual abuse have turned to the PCPM to express their growing frustration and concern over the continued use of Father Marko Rupnik’s artwork by various Vatican offices, including the Dicastery for the comunications”.

“Pope Francis has urged us to be sensitive and walk in solidarity with those wounded by all forms of abuse. I ask you to keep this in mind when choosing images,” Cardinal O’Malley urged in his letter.

The works of art of Rupnik and the prefect of the Dicastery for Communications

Cardinal O’Malley’s letter appears a week after the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, Paolo Ruffini, defended the use of the priest’s art accused of abuse.

He did so during a conference in Atlanta (United States) that brought together experts in Catholic communication on June 21.

Ruffini noted that there is no official verdict yet and that “anticipating a decision is something that, in our opinion, is not good.” Furthermore, he explained that they have used the images they already had in the past, without adding any new ones. “Removing, erasing, destroying art has never been a good choice,” he asserted.

For Ruffini, removing Father Rupnik’s art “is not a Christian response,” since as Christians, “we are asked not to judge.”

In response to journalist Colleen Dulle of Jesuit America Magazine, Ruffini also explained that the Jesuit curia in Rome has not removed Rupnik’s art from its chapel.

The request of 5 victims to remove Rupnik’s works

“I am writing to you because in your diocese there are mosaics created by Rupnik that awaken not only in my clients, but also in many faithful, feelings that do not correspond to a religious place,” the victims’ lawyer wrote in a letter to the bishops, Laura Sgro.

The Rupnik mosaics “are found in the places where each believer gathers in prayer to have contact with the Father” and “they cause discomfort in the hearts of the faithful,” adds the lawyer, according to the Spanish newspaper. The world.

“These works cannot remain in the place where they were placed, both out of respect for the victims and for the very nature of the place of prayer,” the victims emphasize.

Who is Marko Rupnik?

Father Marko Rupnik, a priest and artist, is accused of having committed serious abuses against women for some 30 years in the Loyola Community he co-founded in the 1990s in Slovenia, his native country.

In a statement released On October 27, 2023, it was reported that Pope Francis decided to lift the statute of limitations on the case to start a process.

The Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Father Arturo Sosa, confirmed that Rupnik had been excommunicated in May 2020 for having confessed to one of his victims, a sentence that was lifted that same month.

After being expelled from the Jesuits in June 2023, Rupnik was accepted in October of the same year by a diocese in Slovenia to continue exercising his priestly ministry and is currently in Rome awaiting a verdict.

Rupnik continues to appear as a Jesuit and Vatican consultant in the 2024 Pontifical Yearbook. The data appears on page 1346, where the list of the consultants of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments is published.