US Cardinal calls on the Vatican not to appear “oblivious” to the victims’ suffering

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Every Vatican office must be sensitive to victims of abuse and exercise “pastoral prudence” before deciding to exhibit works of art created by an alleged abuser, said the head of the Roman Curia’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

“We must avoid sending a message that the Holy See is unaware of the psychological suffering experienced by so many people,” American Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley of Boston said in a letter to all Vatican dicasteries on behalf of the commission.

While the presumption of innocence for the accused during ongoing investigations into allegations of abuse must be respected, he wrote, the Holy See and its offices must “exercise wise pastoral prudence and compassion towards those harmed by clerical sexual abuse.”

The commission published only excerpts from the cardinal’s letter in a press release published on June 28. The entire letter was sent privately to the heads of Vatican dicasteries on June 26.

The cardinal said he hoped that “pastoral prudence will prevent works of art from being displayed in a way that might suggest an acquittal or subtle defense” of any alleged perpetrator of abuse “or indicate indifference to the pain and suffering of so many victims of abuse.”

“In recent months, victims of abuse of power, spiritual and sexual abuse have turned to PCPM to express their growing frustration and concern regarding the continued use of works of art by Father Marko Rupnik by several Vatican offices, including the Dicastery for Communication,” it reads. in a press release.

“Currently, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is investigating allegations of psychological and sexual abuse of several consecrated women by Father Rupnik, who was dismissed by the Society of Jesus in June 2023,” it said.

Laura Sgrò, a lawyer representing five women who said they were abused by Father Rupnik, published a letter on June 28 asking bishops to remove the priest’s mosaics from places of worship, the Associated Press reports.

Commenting on the issue of separating an artist’s life from his work, Sgrò said some women have said abuse occurred when they posed as models for Father Rupnik’s works, and at least one nun has said abuse occurred on scaffolding while a mosaic was being installed in a church.

“Let’s be clear, this letter is not an assessment of Father Rupnik’s work, but only a reflection on the validity of their presence in consecrated spaces dedicated to Our Lord,” the letter wrote.

The AP said the women did not want to “prejudge the outcome” of the Vatican investigation or have the mosaics destroyed. The women asked that the artwork be removed from places of worship so that it “does not cast a shadow on the spirituality of the faithful,” the letter said.

Meanwhile, in his letter, the cardinal reminded curial officials that “Pope Francis called on us to be sensitive and in solidarity with those who have been harmed by all forms of violence.”

“I ask you to keep this in mind when choosing images to accompany the publication of news, articles and reflections through the various communication channels available to us,” he wrote.

The cardinal’s letter and Sgrò’s letter came a week after Paolo Ruffini, head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications, defended the continued use of Father Rupnik’s works in various media.

Father Rupnik, who is currently under investigation by the doctrinal dicastery, has been accused of sexually, psychologically and spiritually abusing numerous women he encountered in the course of his work and ministry. The 69-year-old Slovenian artist founded the Centro Aletti, a Roman community of artists and scholars, and was also a co-founder of the Slovenian Community of Loyola, a religious community of sisters that has since been closed.

During a question-and-answer session at the Catholic Media Conference in Atlanta on June 21, a journalist asked Ruffini what the rationale was for allowing Vatican communications offices to continue to use Father Rupnik’s art and whether there had been a change in policy.

In an audio recording of the event published by OSV News, Ruffini explained that it is not “good” or “Christian” to predetermine a priest’s guilt when an active investigation is underway.

“As Christians, we are asked not to judge,” he said, adding that it would be best to remain patient and leave the judgment of the priest’s case to the competent authorities.

Ruffini also said that they only reused images they already had and did not add new ones.

He added that ensuring the visibility of the priest’s works of art is also a matter of “civilization,” emphasizing that “it is not a good idea to mix art” with someone else’s “history” or culture.

“What about Caravaggio? What about many other artists?” he asked. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, the famous Renaissance painter, faced arrests for carrying weapons without a permit, numerous charges of assault and aggression, and a death sentence for killing a man.

“Removing, deleting, destroying art has never been a good choice,” Ruffini said. Father Rupnik’s mosaics decorate countless sanctuaries, chapels and churches around the world.

In a follow-up question and comment underscoring the pope’s call to be close to victims of abuse, Ruffini said, “The closeness of the Church to victims and the closeness of the Church to all victims is obvious.”

“But it’s also clear that there’s an ongoing investigation” into the allegations, which are “a story that we don’t know, that I don’t know. Who am I to judge Rupnik’s story?” he said.

Ruffini said he wasn’t sure if taking down a piece of art or “throwing stones” would provide healing.

“Do you think that if I remove the image of the artwork from my website, our website, that I will be closer to the victims?” he asked.

When the OSV News reporter who asked the question said, “I think so,” Ruffini replied, “Well, I think you’re wrong. I think you’re wrong. I really think you’re wrong.”

Father Rupnik was briefly excommunicated and removed from the Jesuits.

In December 2022, the Jesuits stated that Father Rupnik was operating under restrictions in his ministry due to abuse allegations and that the then Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith confirmed that he was briefly excommunicated in 2020 for absolving in confession a woman with whom he had sex . The excommunication was lifted after he apparently converted.

In June 2023, the Jesuits expelled Father Rupnik by order for refusing to uphold his vows of obedience to the restrictions imposed on him and for opposing credible allegations of sexual, spiritual, and psychological abuse of approximately two dozen women and at least one man over a period of 30 years.

Although the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith decided in 2022 that it could not continue the investigation because the alleged events occurred after the 20-year reporting period for abuses, Pope Francis in October 2023 lifted the statute of limitations and ordered the dicastery to launch a new investigation after the pontifical protection commission highlighted “serious problems” in the handling of his case.