Vatican News has removed artwork by Fr Marko Rupnik — the once-renowned mosaicist now accused of abusing more than two dozen women — from its website. Source: Catholic Review.
His mosaics, long used to mark major feast days online, were recently replaced or left blank — a shift many survivors say is long overdue.
The removed mosaics include one for the June 9 memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, and one that illustrated the feast of the Assumption on August 15.
“I can’t tell you how hopeful of a sign it is for me,” said Weronika, whose name was changed and who is a victim of abuse by a Polish Dominican priest.
“I saw it immediately and simply felt relieved,” she told OSV News, adding: “You don’t even know how much this gesture means to me. That the victims’ pain was heard at last.”
Since the allegations were revealed, calls to remove Fr Rupnik’s artwork have grown, including from women who said the mosaics were a painful reminder of the abuse they suffered. One alleged victim, identified as Sr Samuelle, recounted that she was abused by Fr Rupnik while installing one of his mosaics.
A number of shrines that featured his work have taken steps to either cover or limit the public display and use of Fr Rupnik’s mosaics since the abuse allegations were made public.
The St John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, as well as the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, France, opted to cover or partially cover the mosaics out of respect for his victims.
OSV News asked the Vatican’s Press Office whether removing Fr Rupnik’s art from Vatican News was a coordinated effort and is awaiting an answer.
FULL STORY
Fr Rupnik’s mosaics disappear from Vatican News (By Paulina Guziz, OSV News via Catholic Review)
