The Vatican has denied reports circulating on blogs and social media that Fr Marko Rupnik, the former Jesuit accused by several women religious of sexual abuse, had been acquitted. Source: EWTN News.
Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, described reports that the judges overseeing the case had reached a final decision as “absolutely unfounded”.
Mr Bruni said the canonical proceedings remain underway and that the tribunal “is examining documentation received from the dioceses involved, the Society of Jesus, the interested parties, and information published by the media.”
The Vatican spokesman stressed that no information about the case can be made public while the trial is underway. He said the confidentiality is intended both to protect due process and to prevent further harm to those affected by the case.
“During the trial, as in any judicial proceeding, information regarding the proceedings underway cannot be shared in any way,” Mr Bruni said in the statement.
He added that the tribunal itself will take any necessary steps to obtain additional information should the judges determine that further evidence is required.
Mr Bruni also noted that the investigation into Fr Rupnik is a canonical criminal proceeding that was made possible after the statute of limitations for the alleged offenses was waived.
The tribunal will therefore be able to reach a determination regarding Fr Rupnik’s possible guilt or innocence in accordance with canon law.
Fr Rupnik is accused of psychological and sexual abuse during the 1990s in a religious community in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The community was founded by a religious sister for whom Fr Rupnik served as a friend and spiritual adviser.
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith received a complaint in 2021. The dicastery, now headed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, asked the Society of Jesus to investigate the allegations using an external investigator, who was a Dominican religious.
The Jesuits submitted the findings to the dicastery, which determined in October 2022 that the allegations were barred by the statute of limitations. Pope Francis ordered the case reopened the following year.
After the allegations became public, the Jesuits acknowledged that Fr Rupnik had been excommunicated in 2020 for absolving a woman with whom he had engaged in sexual activity. The Jesuits said he repented and that the penalty was lifted shortly afterward.
In 2021, nine women accused Fr Rupnik of sexually, psychologically, and spiritually abusing them.
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Vatican denies Marko Fr Rupnik has been acquitted (EWTN News)
