The Vatican confirmed Wednesday that a church trial against the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik, a Slovenian artist accused of spiritual and sexual abuse of women, is ongoing. Vatican officials defended the secrecy of the proceedings, stating it is necessary to guarantee the integrity of the process.
An Italian blog had reported Monday that an acquittal verdict had been reached in the case. However, a statement from the Vatican press office called the report "totally unfounded" and said that judges are continuing to "examine documentation provided by the dioceses involved, the Jesuits, the parties concerned, and from the press."
The scandal surrounding Rupnik, whose mosaic designs adorn numerous churches worldwide, became public in late 2022. At that time, Italian blogs reported claims from women and nuns alleging spiritual, sexual, and psychological abuse by Rupnik dating back to the 1990s, which they claimed had been consistently dismissed by the Catholic hierarchy.
The Vatican's canon law traditionally considers sexual relations between a priest and an adult as sinful but consensual, and only criminalizes such behavior if the adult "habitually lacks the use of reason." The Rupnik case has become particularly sensitive amid broader discussions about abuse within the church, with suggestions that Rupnik was protected for over three decades by his Jesuit superiors and the Vatican hierarchy.
The Jesuits acknowledged that Rupnik had been briefly excommunicated in 2020 for using the confessional to absolve a woman with whom he had engaged in sexual activity, a grave crime within the Catholic Church. However, the Vatican later declined to prosecute claims from other women, citing that the allegations were too old and involved adults at the time of the alleged abuse, not minors.
Rupnik was expelled from the Jesuit order in 2023. Pope Francis later waived the statute of limitations on the older claims, allowing for a formal canonical trial.
Rupnik remains a priest, and his supporters have denied the accusations, with Maria Campatelli, director of the Aletti Center founded by Rupnik, calling the claims "defamatory and unproven."
Victim and Legal Perspectives
The report of an acquittal prompted a sharp critique from the lawyer representing five women who have accused Rupnik. Attorney Laura Sgro expressed dismay that her clients had never been interviewed by the tribunal and had received no response to their requests for information about the case's status over two years.
Sgro's critique highlighted the limitations faced by victims within the Vatican's canonical system, where they have no right to information about investigations. The Vatican press office stated that no information can be shared about the proceedings to respect the process and avoid harming those involved, though it suggested victims might still be heard if the panel requires further information.
The Vatican's statement also addressed Sgro's complaints by noting that canonical trials concern matters within the church and are conducted according to canon law, distinct from civil or criminal justice. In such investigations, victims are considered third-party witnesses with limited rights, unable to participate in secret proceedings or access case files. A 2019 reform by Pope Francis allows victims to be informed of the final outcome, but little else.
Accused priests have also voiced concerns about secrecy and rights within canonical abuse trials. International commissions and inquiries into clergy abuse have repeatedly condemned the church's judicial procedures, particularly their secrecy and opacity, for retraumatizing victims. Canon law was not originally designed to address abuse survivors' needs or healing, with its primary goals being the restoration of justice, offender reform, and the repair of scandal within the institution.