The case has raised questions about how the church punishes offenders – Copyright AFP/File CLAUDIO REYES
Clemens Melki
The Jesuit Catholic order, of which Pope Francis is a member, has been rocked by claims that a prominent priest had molested several women, a case that has raised questions about how the church punishes offenders.
Father Marko Rupnik, a 68-year-old Slovenian priest and world-renowned artist, is accused of abusing several women at a religious community in Ljubljana in the early 1990s, which press reports say included sexual and psychological violence.
The case first surfaced in Italian media before the Jesuits – one of the main Roman Catholic orders founded in 1540 – revealed that they had sanctioned Rupnik and denied him the right to confess.
The Vatican Dicastery (Ministry) for the Doctrine of the Faith was involved in the case but said it could not try Rupnik because the statute of limitations had expired.
The Jesuits later revealed that in another case, Rupnik had also been convicted of “absolving an accomplice … in a sin against the sixth commandment” – namely the acquittal of someone who had sex with him.
This is a serious crime under canon law for which Rupnik was automatically excommunicated from the Catholic Church in May 2020. The excommunication was lifted by a Vatican decree later that month.
“In order to lift the excommunication, the person must acknowledge the fact and formally repent. And Rupnik did that,” Father Arturo Sosa, the Jesuit Superior General, told journalists earlier this month.
Asked if Pope Francis had been consulted on Rupnik’s case, Sosa said, “I have no direct contact with the Pope.”
He added: “I can imagine that the prefect of the dicastery spoke to the pope before making the decision. That seems normal to me. But I can’t say yes or no.”
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Rupnik is also a well-known mosaic artist. His works decorate a chapel of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican and the facade of the basilica in Lourdes.
The case against him has sent shockwaves through the Jesuit community at a time when the Catholic Church is still grappling with outcry over clerical child sex abuse — and the subsequent cover-up.
The Jesuits, who number 14,500 worldwide, have urged anyone else with a complaint to come forward and promised to listen “with understanding and empathy”.
The allegations of abuse against the women of the Loyola community in Slovenia were first reported to the Vatican in 2021 and then forwarded to the Jesuits.
An independent inquiry in January 2022 found there was “a case to answer” and recommended that the Vatican bring Rupnik to justice, according to a timeline released by the Jesuits.
In October 2022, the Vatican dropped the case because it had expired, but the Rome-based Jesuit order said sanctions imposed on Rupnik during the investigation continued.
These include a ban on confession and accompanying spiritual activities, and a ban on engaging in public activities without permission from his local superior.
In a recent interview with Italian newspaper Domani, a 58-year-old nun claimed Rupnik pressured her to have sex with him.
She believes the priest was “protected” by the church hierarchy and claims all her grievances have gone unanswered since the 1990s.
Last week the Slovenian bishops expressed their “dismay” and “sorrow” over the case and condemned what had happened.
“We deplore the officials’ failure to take necessary action and cover up acts of sexual and spiritual violence and abuses of power and authority,” they said.
Contacted by AFP, the Vatican declined to respond, while requests for comment from Rupnik went unanswered.
But behind the scenes, the case has raised questions about the Holy See’s ability to respond to allegations of abuse, particularly historical claims.
Rupnik, meanwhile, retains an advisory role in several departments of the Roman Curia, the Vatican’s government.