Nuns vs Vatican: Documentary about the accusations of abuse of Marko Rupnik

Earlier this month, a documentary about the alleged abuses of Father Marko Rupnik against consecrated women, the personal consequences of two of his alleged victims and what happened when the complaints became public decades later were premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.

Nuns vs The Vatican (Nuns vs the Vatican) Includes the detailed stories of Gloria Brancni Religious

Through the stories of Brancni and Klara, the film, released on September 6, argues that Rupnik’s alleged abuses were inextricably linked to their religious art.

He also assures that he had the protection of the Catholic Church, where he jumped to stardom in the 1990s, and interview with experts who say that the Vatican’s response has been inadequate.

Brancni was part of the Ignacio de Loyola community in Slovenia, co -founded by Rupnik in the 1980s. In the documentary, he remembers how the exjejita supposedly harassed her and then sexually and psychologically abused her in the early 90s.

According to Brancni, his complaints about Rupnik did not receive an answer, she was punished by the then superior of the community, Ivanka Hosta, and expelled from religious life by Fr. Tomáš Špidlík, Cardinal Czech and a Jesuit who died in 2010. written the renunciation letter in your name.

In addition to the testimony of the alleged victims and their lawyer, the documentary presents journalists, psychologists and other abuse experts, including Barbara Dorris, former director of the Network of Survivors of Abuse for Priests (SNAP), who suffered sexual abuse of a priest between 6 and 13 years.

Throughout the documentary, Dorris and Laura Sgrò, lawyer of some of the alleged victims of Rupnik, are very critical regarding the response of the church hierarchy to clerical sexual abuse.

No one from the Vatican participated in the documentary. The documentary ensures that the requests for statements from Rupnik and the former leader of the Loyola community, host, were ignored.

Sarah Pearson, Snap spokesman, said in a statement to CNA – Ewtn News English – that “Snap is proud of the legacy of Barbara Dorris, a leader of long career and tireless defender of 1 in 3 nuns suffering from sexual abuse by priests.”

Pearson continued: “The case of the Jesuit priest, Fr. Marko Rupnik, illustrates this catastrophe with tragic clarity. Despite the overwhelming reports of abuse, Rupnik was protected for years, keeping in the ministry thanks to the intervention of the Vatican under Pope Francis. Only after a prolonged public indignation was finally subjected to a canonical process.”

The Italian Lorena Luciano directed the film. It was produced by Filippo Piscopo. Mariska Hargitay, protagonist of Law and Order: Special Victims Unitis one of the executive producers of the documentary.

A spokesman for Nuns vs. The Vatican He told CNA that the documentary will continue to project at Film Festivals in North America and that they are working to exhibit it in the Vatican.

“We are also waiting to see if Pope León will press so that the ecclesiastical trial against Rupnik is done in autumn,” added a producer spokesman.

Earlier this year, the Vatican eliminated Rupnik’s works of art from its official websites. The digital images of the sacred art of the Slovenian priest, which Vatican News frequently used to illustrate articles on the liturgical festivities of the Church, are no longer found in the digital news service.

Changes on the Vatican News and Dicasterio for communication websites occurred shortly after Pope Leo XIV met with members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on June 5.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA