Vatican removes works by ex-Jesuit Rupnik from websites

After much hesitation, the Vatican media department has removed images of the Slovenian priest and mosaic artist Marko Rupnik (70) from the Vatican media website. Some of his pictures with biblical themes could still be seen on Vatican websites until the Pentecost weekend as illustrations for a liturgical calendar of events. They have since been quietly replaced by other works of art.

Several nuns had levelled serious accusations against the former Jesuit. In essence, it was about the utilisation of the clerical office for sexual seduction. According to church law, such acts are sinful, but not criminal offences. State criminal law also does not provide any legal defence.

Rupnik was temporarily excommunicated

In 2019, Rupnik incurred the temporary punishment of excommunication because he had absolved one of the women concerned of the sins they had committed together in confession by virtue of his priestly authority. In June 2023, Rupnik was expelled from the Jesuit order for persistent disobedience; since then, he has lived as a priest with his official residence in Slovenia. Pending ecclesiastical criminal proceedings against Rupnik were extended in October 2023 by order of the Pope at the time.

Pope Francis (2013-2025), who came from the Jesuit order, had a picture of Rupnik in his Vatican flat for years. He did not publicly state his position on the accusations against the former confrere. He last received Rupnik privately in 2022.

The continued presence of Rupnik's artworks in churches as well as on Vatican websites and in church publications repeatedly caused debate. In June 2024, the head of the Vatican's communications dicastery, Paolo Ruffini, defended the decision to retain the artworks.

In some churches whose façades or interiors Rupnik decorated with his works, they were removed after the allegations became known. They can still be seen in other buildings. Opponents of their removal point out that Rupnik's guilt has not yet been proven with certainty. Furthermore, a distinction must be made between an artist's lifestyle and the artistic value of his works.

Targeting "perpetrator artworks"

Critics point out that victims of clerical sexual abuse suffer from the constant visibility of "perpetrators' artworks". Among others, the head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Children, Cardinal Sean O'Malley from Boston, has spoken out in favour of removing Rupnik's works, citing pastoral wisdom and sensitivity to the concerns of those affected.

Pope Leo XIV received O'Malley and the commission he headed for a long meeting at the Vatican on Thursday. A few days later, Rupnik's pictures disappeared from the Vatican website.