The Vatican on July 22 denied reports circulating on blogs and social media that Father Marko Rupnik, the former Jesuit accused by several women religious of sexual abuse, had been acquitted.
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.”
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.”
Proceedings remain confidential
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,” 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.
Bruni also noted that the investigation into 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 Rupnik’s possible guilt or innocence in accordance with canon law.
Allegations of psychological and sexual abuse
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 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 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 Rupnik of sexually, psychologically, and spiritually abusing them.
The Vatican statement also emphasized that the jurisdiction of Church courts is limited to the Church’s internal legal system. Any potential criminal liability under civil law would depend on the authorities in the countries where the alleged offenses may have occurred and on the applicable statutes of limitations.
Rupnik “remains subject to the laws of the countries in which the alleged crimes may have been committed, and the statute of limitations for those crimes is governed by the law of each country, independently of ecclesiastical authority,” Bruni said.
Frustration over pace of case
The Vatican’s response came after Laura Sgrò, an attorney representing five of Rupnik’s accusers, publicly expressed frustration over the pace of the proceedings and the lack of information about the canonical trial.
Sgrò told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that she had written Tuesday to Fernández, saying her clients felt “deeply discouraged and distressed” by the lack of transparency surrounding the case.
In November 2025, Pope Leo XIV asked Rupnik’s accusers for patience and said that “the Church must respect the rights of all people.”
Sgrò declined to comment in detail on the Vatican’s response, describing it only as “necessary.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.