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The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith announced it has expanded its investigation into Fr. Marko Rupnik, after new evidence was revealed against the former Jesuit artist, the Holy See confirmed on Wednesday.
In addition, two of Rupnik’s alleged victims, former religious sisters from the community co-founded by Rupnik gave a press conference and said they were sexually and spiritually abused for decades by the priest, and that Church authorities had ignored their complaints.
“After expanding the search to [Church institutions] not previously contacted and having just received the latest elements in response, it will now be necessary to study the acquired documentation in order to identify which procedures can and should be implemented,” said the Holy See released on February 21.
Gloria Branciani, at the press conference in Rome with Mirjam Kovac, told press that the community’s co-foundress Sr. Ivanka Hosta, had “wanted to cover up for her personal reasons. She didn’t want her community and projects to end.”
Branciani detailed the abuse she says she suffered for some 20 years at Rupnik’s hands, including violent sexual assaults as part of the creative process for his artwork.
The two former sisters are the first alleged victims of Rupnik to appear in public and speak about their experiences, the priest has been accused of abuse by dozens of women religious who have spoken about how his “sexual obsession was not extemporaneous but deeply connected to his conception of art and his theological thought.”
Rupnik was punished for a canonical crime in 2020, when the DDF found him guilty of the attempted absolution of a sexual partner. The priest was privately excommunicated for the offense but reinstated two weeks later.
As part of the 2020 process, the DDF also determined that although there was considerable evidence against Rupnik concerning the abuse of women religious, the canonical statute of limitations had lapsed.
After public outcry of his alleged crimes in 2022, the Society of Jesus placed him under “restricted ministry” conditions as early as 2019, but, Rupnik continued to teach, lecture, and appear in public.
Although the priest was eventually dismissed from the society in 2023 for “disobedience” and refusing to obey ministerial restrictions, the Jesuits did not seek his laicization.
Then, Rupnik was incardinated in his home diocese in Slovenia while continuing to stay in the Rome-based artistic community he founded.
The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, in October last year criticized the handling of the case, so Pope Francis waived the statute of limitations in Rupnik’s case and directed the DDF to pursue a full canonical process.
The religious community Rupnik co-founded was then closed by order of the Vatican in December last year.
Some have criticized the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications for its use Rupnik’s artwork.
Sources: Vatican News and The Pillar
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