Artist priest expelled from Jesuits

Jesuit Curia

Source: Society of Jesus

The Jesuits have confirmed that the well known artist priest Marko Ivan Rupnik, has been expelled from the order for spiritually, psychologically and sexually abusing women. Fr Rupnik at present remains a Catholic priest but is no longer a Jesuit priest. He was sent a decree of dismissal in June, with 30 days to appeal. That time has now elapsed and the Jesuits have now issued the following open letter confirming Rupnik's expulsion.

I have already informed you that on June 14, 2023 it was delivered to the sac. Marko Rupnik the decree of resignation from the Society of Jesus signed by the Father General. Now, having passed the thirty days foreseen for him to be able to appeal against this decision of the Society, according to the new canonical norms in this regard, we can declare today that he is no longer a Jesuit religious. As was also made known by the "Letter to the friends of the Aletti Center" of 23 June last, the priest Marko Rupnik had already presented his request to be able to leave the Company in January 2023. This request of him has never in any way represented a "right" for him, given that the vows he made one day in the Society of Jesus bound him to a lifetime commitment of obedience and there is no obligation on the part of the Religious Congregation to grant such a request.

The reason why the Company did not want to accept his request arose from the desire to bind him to his responsibilities in the face of so many accusations, inviting him to embark on a path of truth and confrontation with the evil denounced by so many people who felt hurt. Unfortunately he did not want to accept our invitation and we found ourselves in the need to dismiss him from the Company for the reasons already mentioned elsewhere.

As a representative of the Society of Jesus and former Major Superior of Marko Rupnik, I cannot help but greatly regret this insistent and stubborn inability to deal with the voice of so many people who have felt hurt, offended and humiliated by his behaviour and his way of acting and behaving towards them. What has been said does not exclude the good he has done, and the spiritual fruit of which he has been the intermediary for many and many others in the Church. However, we must remember what Jesus taught us: "if, therefore, you present your offering on the altar and there you remember that one of your brothers or sisters has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother or sister and then come back and offer your gift" (cf. Mt 5:23).

Many have asked us why a process that could lead to the loss of the clerical state of Marko Rupnik has not been carried out. I would like to remind you here that this is not in itself the competence of the Society of Jesus, but of the Holy See. As Major Superior, in the various circumstances of these long and complex events, I have always wanted to be able to initiate a process that could guarantee the judicial assessment of the facts, the right to defense and the consequent sanctions (or possible acquittal), but various reasons, including the current limits of the regulations relating to similar situations, did not allow this.

I can also officially declare that it is the firm desire of the Society of Jesus to distance itself legally from the Aletti Centre, formally leaving the Public Association of the Faithful which bears the same name and finding the best way to terminate partnership relations with the Centre. We are looking for the best way to do it, also in collaboration with the Vicariate of Rome, on which the Centro Aletti depends today. Note also that there is no longer a resident Jesuit community at the Centro Aletti.

To all those who have felt and still feel hurt and hurt by this once confrere of ours, I assure you of my full solidarity and openness to finding in the future the best ways to reflect on how to find inner peace and reconciliation through paths that we can study together.

Humbly, in Xto

p. Johan Verschueren, SJ
Delegate for the Roman International Houses and Works of the Society of Jesus (DIR)