Jesuit priest and artist Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, SJ, is accused of abusing at least nine nuns in the early 1990s. Rupnik and Sister Ivanka Hosta created the Loyola Community in Slovenia. The Society of Jesus issued a statement saying that a complaint had been received by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith against the Slovenian priest, prompting the Vatican to order an initial investigation.
Someone of Dominican religious persuasion conducted the investigation and took witness statements. According to the official statement released by the Society of Jesus on Saturday, December 2, 2022, in Italian, Rupnik was placed under preventative measures such as a ban on “exercising the sacrament of Confession, spiritual direction and giving the Spiritual Exercises” during the preliminary investigation.
According to the Jesuits’ provincial in Slovenia, the Vatican was given the investigation’s findings in October but decided against proceeding with a canonical process at the time due to the statute of limitations. In this case, no minors were involved in the allegation.
Despite this, the safety measures put in place during the prior investigation are still in effect, albeit under a different name: “administrative measures.”
Who is Father Marko Rupnik?
Rupnik is not only a priest but also the creator of the Aletti Spiritual Art Workshop, which is responsible for many sacred works of art around the world. When Rupnik was younger, he attended the Pontifical Gregorian University and the School of Fine Arts in Rome, where he completed his doctoral thesis on the theological significance of modern art in the context of Russian religion.
It was in 1996 that Pope St. John Paul II entrusted him with the task of restoring the mosaic in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican.
You can also check our latest articles:
- Who is Sasheer Zamata and Which was her First Movie?
- Who is Rj in the Walking Dead and Which actor playing this role in this Series?
Rupnik and his crew reconstructed the Wall of the Incarnation, the Wall of Ascension and Pentecost, and the Wall of the Parousia, and three years later, Pope St. John Paul II presided over the dedication ritual of this chapel. The main chapel of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference headquarters in Madrid was refurbished in February 2011 under Rupnik’s direction at the Aletti Center.
The Slovenian priest also embellished the Cathedral of Santa Mara la Real de Almudena’s main sacristy, chapter house, and chapel of the Blessed Sacrament in Madrid.
While discussing Rupnik’s contribution, it was stated, “his motto is to preach via beauty.” the wall of the main altar at the Shrine of the Holy Trinity in Fátima, Portugal, which stands directly across from the place of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary, was also designed by Rupnik’s workshop.
Thousands of devout Catholics travel to San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy every year to pay their respects to Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, who was marked with the stigmata and for whom Rupnik created the ramp and crypt of the lower Church.
Other notable works by Rupnik and his studio can be found in the Church of the Virgin of the Southern Cross in Australia, the Chapel of the Holy Family of the Knights of Columbus at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C. and the Chapel of the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary in Italy.
After claims of abuse surfaced the Jesuit artist Father Rupnik’s ministry was severely limited
According to reports, a distinguished Jesuit priest and artist had his ministry limited following an investigation into charges of abuse against Slovenian nuns.
Since the Vatican received a complaint against 68-year-old Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, SJ in 2021, the Jesuits said in a statement released on December 2 that the order has forbidden him from hearing confessions or performing spiritual direction.
According to the order, the Vatican rejected to conduct a canonical process in October on the grounds that the time period had expired. No minors were involved in the complaint.
The Jesuit order reaffirmed its ban on Rupnik leading the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises and other restrictions on his ministry. Without the approval of his superior, the priest is likewise restricted from participating in any public actions.
Rupnik, director of the Centro Aletti in Rome, has developed mosaic artworks for chapels, cathedrals, and shrines all around the world for over 30 years, and he created the official image for the 2022 World Meeting of Families. Most notably, the Jesuit oversaw the three-year reconstruction of the Redemptoris Mater Chapel in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican which was completed in 1999.
In addition to his work on the Vatican, Rupnik is responsible for the design of several notable American buildings, including the Redemptor Hominis Church at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, DC. Rupnik was awarded an honorary degree by Brazil’s the Pontifical Catholic University of the Paraná on November 30 despite the limitations placed on his public ministry.
Each week, Rupnik’s commentary on the Sunday Gospel has been featured in a video posted on YouTube by Centro Aletti. In February, the Diocese of Rome published a video of Rupnik giving a sermon on the topic of eucharistic adoration. A Slovenian priest incardinated in the Diocese of Rome since the early 1990s has reportedly been the subject of an initial inquiry by the Jesuits at the request of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).
After submitting their final report to the DDF the Jesuits reported that in early October the Vatican “determined that the circumstances in question” were beyond the statute of limitations.
ACI Prensa CNA’s Spanish partner agency was informed by a source in the Diocese of Rome on December 5 that the province of the Jesuits had informed the diocese of the precautionary steps against Rupnik and urged that his pastoral activities in the diocese be limited.
According to the source, the Diocese of Rome did not conduct its own inquiry into the charges against Rupnik because the alleged abuse occurred in Slovenia and not in Rome. A second investigation into the Slovenian-founded Loyola Community was done by Rome auxiliary Bishop Daniele Libanori, the source added, and it had nothing to do with Rupnik.
You can also read about these celebrities:
- Who is Ryan Reynolds Married To? Blake Lively and his Relationship Timeline
- Who is Arielle Charnas and her Husband Brandon?
At least nine women reportedly complained to Libanori about Rupnik during the continuing canonical visitation. They say that for many years, Rupnik served as the community’s spiritual leader and confessor.
The Italian website “Silere non-possum,” Latin for “I cannot keep silent,” published a story containing allegations that Rupnik had harmed consecrated women in the Loyola Community. The website is run by law and religion professors.
Keep following venturejolt.com for more updates. Don’t forget to bookmark our site for the latest updates.