The Superior General of the Society of Jesus, P. Arturo Sosa, said that there is no “unique rule” to decide what to do with the works of former Slovenian Marko Rupnik, a priest accused of psychological and sexual abuse by several religious.
“I think there is no unique rule for everything, but it depends on how much it really hurts to someone,” said the Jesuit leader at a press conference at the foreign press association in Rome.
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As an example, he mentioned that the bishop of Lourdes, Monsignor Jean-Marc Mica, created in November 2023 a group of advisors to decide what to do with Rupnik mosaics in the sanctuary. This group included victims of sexual abuse of France and other countries, along with experts, instead of the bishop deciding on its own.
“It seems good to me what the bishop of Lourdes did. It was a long process of discernment with people, with the local community, with the victims, to reach a decision that did not only reflect their opinion, but a position fruit of a collective process. Because the contexts are different,” added Fr. Sosa.
Last week, the Sanctuary of Lourdes decided to temporarily cover the works of Rupnik found on the entrance doors of the Basilica. The measure was taken coinciding with the beginning of the pilgrimage season, after he was appointed retirement temple by the local bishop.
The prelate explained that “the passage through the entrance doors of the basilica must be at the symbolic height of the moment,” As read in an official statement.
For Fr. Sosa, “it should not be a single person who makes this type of decisions”, but it is necessary that the community between “in a process of collective discernment.”
Rupnik, expelled from the Society of Jesus in 2023, is prosecuted by the Vatican’s justice, accused of abusing dozens of adult women, mostly religious. Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández said in statements to journalists during the presentation of a book that the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith (DDF) has completed his investigation into the case of Fr. Marko Rupnik and is currently creating an independent court to carry it forward.
The Society of Jesus publicly recognized that the priest had been sanctioned after an investigation for sexual and psychological abuse committed in the 90s, although the crimes had prescribed canonically.
“We lacked sensitivity to see what was happening,” added the superior of the Jesuits at the press conference. “I think we have learned to have more sensitivity and today we have more instruments to face these cases,” he said.
“We are not afraid” of receiving more complaints
Fr. Sosa was also consulted about the possibility of more complaints in the future. Until now, about thirty have been received.
“Fear we don’t have; if there are complaints, they are welcome,” he replied. “At this moment we would really like anyone who has something to say about this case finds a way to do it,” he said.
In any case, he added that, since the active phase of the internal process ended, they have not received new complaints: “But there was no more after that period. All these complaints we have received are the news now.”
He also explained that “some of these people were heard by the office for institutional discernment (OFID) and others have been part of our Company Common Board.
“The possibility of receiving more complaints is always open,” he said. “But you have to keep in mind that Marko Rupnik is no longer a member of the Society of Jesus. He was expelled precisely because he did not cooperate with the healing process. Now, if new complaints are received, they must be submitted directly to the Dicastery.”
About spiritual abuse
Accessed about spiritual abuse, a topic currently under discussion in the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith (DDF), which is not yet typified in canon law, Fr. Sosa recognized the complexity of the Rupnik case.
“The first thing I have to say is that this is not an easy case to treat, because it has caused a lot of pain, both in the victims and in us, their classmates. Talking about this always costs, because when you talk about something so painful it is not easy to express everything that you feel,” he said.
He added that all – including the victims – are waiting for a resolution of the trial, although he acknowledged that it is not a simple process. From the beginning, he said, the company has tried to find healing paths by common agreement with the victims, recognizing that each wound is different and requires a personalized response.
Victoria Cardiel
Victoria Cardiel is a journalist specialized in social and religious information issues. Since 2013, he has covered all the news of the Vatican for various media, such as the Spanish news agency Europa Press, or the weekly of the Archdiocese of Madrid, Alfa and Omega.