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Alleged Rupnik Victims Appeal to Pope Over Vatican Silence
Developing
In Short: Five alleged victims of Slovenian Father Marko Rupnik appeal to Pope Leo XIV to end the Vatican's silence on the priest's canonical trial.
Five alleged victims of Slovenian Father Marko Rupnik, accused of sexually and spiritually abusing more than two dozen women over several decades, have appealed to Pope Leo XIV to end the Vatican's silence on the priest's canonical trial.
In an open letter to the pope, the victims described the ongoing trial as a source of 'new and agonizing violence of silence and abandonment by the justice system.
The letter, signed by Gloria Branciani, Mirjam Kovac, Sister Samuelle, Vida Bernard, and an anonymous victim using the pseudonym 'Pia,' expressed frustration at the lack of updates from the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes ordered the mosaics created by Father Rupnik to be covered before Pope Leo XIV's visit to Lourdes from September 25 to 28.
The mosaics, installed in 2008 to mark the 150th anniversary of the apparitions at Lourdes, were partially covered earlier this year.
The victims also noted that they had learned from press reports that the canonical proceedings had begun, but their requests for updates had gone unanswered.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the report was 'completely unfounded' and that the canonical proceedings were still ongoing.
The victims' letter emphasized that the trial conducted in silence offered no guarantees to anyone, neither to the accused nor to the victims, and was irreconcilable with the concepts of law, truth, justice, fairness, and mercy.
Since the allegations were revealed, calls to remove Father Rupnik’s artwork have grown, with alleged victims stating that the mosaics are a painful reminder of the abuse they suffered.
What this adds
The last official update on the trial was in July, after the Vatican was forced to respond to a report by an Italian blog that a verdict had been reached and that Father Rupnik was acquitted.
Background
Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes ordered the complete covering of Father Marko Rupnik's mosaics ahead of Pope Leo XIV's visit to Lourdes on September 26.
In preparation for Pope Leo XIV's visit to Lourdes, Bishop Jean-Marc Micas ordered the complete covering of Father Marko Rupnik's mosaics, which were partially covered earlier this year.
What's still developing
- In August, Bishop Micas told the French daily La Dépêche that the mosaics on the basilica’s facade would be covered before the pope’s Sept. 25-28 visit to France.
- “Abused and reviled, we therefore continue to suffer violence amidst the grave-like silence and indifference of those called upon to decide our lives,” the letter stated.
- The last official update on the trial was in July, after the Vatican was forced to respond to a report by an Italian blog that a verdict had been reached and that Father Rupnik was acquitted.