VATICAN CITY (VATICAN CITY)
Catholic Herald [London, England]
April 12, 2025
By Elise Ann Allen
In a conversation with the press earlier this week, the Venezuelan Jesuit superior general, Fr Arturo Sosa, acknowledged that his order had been “blind” to abuses committed by Rupnik, the renowned artist and Catholic priest expelled from the Society nearly two years ago.
The notorious case of Fr Marko Rupnik, who is accused of abusing more than 30 adult women, “is not an easy case to speak about, because it caused a lot of pain, for the victims first of all,” Fr Sosa told journalists during a press conference on April 10.
These abuses happened “due to our blindness, because it’s true that we didn’t see it,” Fr Sosa admitted, adding: “This blindness came from not putting the various signs together.”
“It’s very common in abuse cases, not only in the Rupnik case, that it’s not easy for victims to come forward with complaints,” he explained. “It takes a lot of time and also depends on many factors.” Fr Sosa conceded that as a community, “we lacked sensitivity to notice what was happening.”
Fr Sosa said that due to this unfortunate experience, “we can now see more clearly—not only concerning Rupnik’s case but also other cases in the Society and in the Church.”
“I think we’ve learned to have more sensitivity in these matters, and we want the tools to face them effectively,” he said. Nevertheless, he admitted: “There is much to do, especially along the path to healing.”
Rupnik, one of the most celebrated religious artists in the Catholic Church, designed and oversaw the creation of mosaics decorating churches and basilicas around the world, including prominent sites in the Vatican and Marian shrines such as Lourdes.
The Society of Jesus, the religious order to which Pope Francis belongs, expelled Rupnik in June 2023 after more than two dozen women came forward alleging sexual, spiritual and psychological abuse over a period of 30 years, including incidents during collaboration on his artworks.
Despite these allegations, which include testimonies from several women who have publicly disclosed their experiences, Rupnik remains a priest. His supporters and collaborators continue to deny any wrongdoing.
For decades Rupnik avoided punishment, partly because the women accusing him were adults at the time of the alleged abuses, and partly due to his high standing within the Church.
A canonical case against Rupnik was opened at the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in October 2023, and a panel of judges has been appointed to review the findings. However, a final ruling and any subsequent penalty could still be some way off.
The Jesuits recently sent a letter to about 20 women who reported abuse by Rupnik, expressing regret that he had refused to engage in a process of truth and reparation before his expulsion, and lamenting that the Church had been slow to act.
In an email to the Associated Press, Fr Johan Versuchen, a senior Jesuit official in Rome who oversaw the group conducting the internal investigation into the allegations against Rupnik, said the order was evaluating the victims’ needs for reparation individually.
During Thursday’s press conference, Fr Sosa said the Jesuits “are waiting, along with the victims, for the conclusion of this judgement” from the Vatican. He expressed hope “that it can be resolved as soon as possible, even though I understand this process is not easy.”
Regarding the order’s approach to reparation, Fr Sosa said individual healing paths must be identified, “because there are deep wounds, and wounds must be healed in different ways. There isn’t just one way.”
He noted that they had received some replies to their letter and were awaiting responses from others.
Fr Sosa also referred to a new Vatican study within the Dicastery for Legislative Texts to define the crime of “spiritual abuse,” meaning the use of spiritual imagery or false mystical experiences in manipulating or sexually abusing individuals, with the intention of codifying this crime in Canon Law.
Stressing the need for “a consistent culture of care and safeguarding” within the Church, he remarked: “It has become common to speak of vulnerable people. We prefer to say everyone is vulnerable and instead focus on how to create relationships where there is no possibility of abuse, whether spiritual or physical.” Spiritual and other forms of abuse, he explained, happen when relationships become “unbalanced.”
“The spiritual realm can be turned into a context of very serious abuse,” he warned, adding that the Jesuits are educating their members about maintaining healthy relationships with clear boundaries “to prevent spiritual abuse.”
Fr Sosa highlighted one Jesuit initiative: a series of programmes aimed at raising awareness about the seriousness of abuse within the Church and society, designed to “guarantee safe spaces in our communities and apostolic work and to understand more deeply the causes of this crisis within the Church.”
He said the first step is raising awareness through an audit in each of their 74 provinces to evaluate procedures and “break the silence,” especially in regions where discussing abuse remains taboo.
“We understand this as cultural change, not merely changing rules,” he explained, stressing that they were working to foster “a consistent culture of protection” as an ongoing project, this year and into the future.
Fr Sosa also addressed what should be done with Rupnik’s artwork, which many argue should be removed.
He expressed general support for the decision of the Diocese of Lourdes, where Rupnik’s murals adorn the entrance of the famous Marian shrine. There, the local bishop conducted an extensive consultation process with locals and victims before deciding to cover the murals.
“There’s no single rule that fits every situation,” he stated, adding: “It depends significantly on how much harm someone experiences by seeing these works displayed.”
During his remarks, Fr Sosa also highlighted Jesuit ministries worldwide and various social initiatives undertaken by the order, including speaking out “against the current” on sensitive issues, such as the US administration’s mass deportation policies and navigating the anti-clerical regime in Venezuela.
He briefly mentioned the Pope’s health, the need for better engagement with young people, and the Vatican’s complex relationship with China, stating candidly: “It’s very difficult to predict outcomes concerning China.”
China has “the capacity to do harm, just as it has the ability to do good,” he said. “There we encounter the mystery of human freedom: how those with the means to produce what people need choose whether to use them to give life or to consolidate their own economic and political power.”
There are approximately 20 to 25 Jesuits in China, Fr Sosa said, mostly professors who enjoy freedom of movement, do their best to accompany those around them, and do “what is possible for China and the Church.”
Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) has completed its investigation into the allegations against Fr Rupnik and is in the process of selecting judges for his canonical trial.
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the DDF’s prefect, has indicated that the selection of judges is ongoing, aiming to appoint individuals external to the Roman Curia due to the high-profile nature of the case.