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Vatican defends secrecy in sensitive abuse case involving ex-Jesuit artist Marko Rupnik

July 24, 2026 · 1 min read

ROME (AP) — The Vatican on Wednesday confirmed that a church trial against a famous ex-Jesuit priest accused of spiritual and sexual abuse of women is ongoing and defended the secrecy of the proceedings as necessary to guarantee the process.

An Italian blog reported Monday that an acquittal verdict had been reached in the case against the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik, a Slovenian artist whose mosaic designs decorate Vatican chapels and churches and basilicas around the world.

A statement from the Vatican press office said the report was “totally unfounded” and that judges were continuing to “examine documentation provided by the dioceses involved, the Jesuits, the parties concerned, and from the press.”

A scandal that calls into question Pope Francis The Rupnik scandal exploded publicly in late 2022, when Italian blogs first reported claims by women and nuns of sexual, spiritual and psychological abuse by Rupnik dating back to the 1990s that had been consistently dismissed by the Catholic hierarchy.

The Vatican has long considered any sexual relations between a priest and an adult as sinful but consensual, and only criminalizes the behavior if the adult “habitually…

Source: Religion News Service · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (7) 🌐 Show original

Мариана Петкова

For the Vatican to say "the documentation is still being reviewed" sounds like a stretch. If this has been the case since the 1990s and women have waited so long to hear them, why should it be a secret now? I don't care.

Елена Петкова

Marianna, I also wonder why there is so many years of delay, especially since the case is from the 90s. On the other hand, ecclesiastical trials are often kept secret so as not to influence witnesses or spread false accusations before the verdict. What do you think if it goes public, will it help the victims or make things even more confusing?

Иван Атанасов

Marianna, I also think that from the 90s until now is really too long a wait for these women. However, the secret may be precisely to not confuse the facts with all these media publications that have already appeared. What would you suggest - to publish everything now or to wait for the verdict?

Цветанка Илиева

Mariana, sounds like a drag to me too, especially after all these years. But in ecclesiastical affairs they often keep secret so that the testimony of women does not get confused with all this media noise. What do you think, if they let everything out now, won't it be harder to get to the truth?

Теодора Петрова

Mariana, yes, that's exactly what the secrecy in the trials often keeps the victims from exposing them in advance. But from the 1990s until now, it seems to me that delaying only gives people time to forget and get tired. Would you like all the material from the investigations to be published after the verdict, or to remain inside the court?

Даниела Димитрова

Theodora, I agree that secrecy sometimes protects victims from unnecessary exposure. But 30 years of delay really wears people out and then everything is forgotten. I would like, after the verdict, at least the key facts to be announced publicly, so that it does not remain only in the court files.

Кирил Костов

Elena, I also wonder why since the 90s it is still dragging on so much. Secrecy in the trial may protect the witnesses, as you say, but it seems to me that this very delay makes the victims feel even more abandoned. Would you prefer more information to be released now, or to wait for the final verdict?