(OSV News) ─ A representative of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal said it is not considering the removal of artwork by Father Marko Rupnik days after the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France announced it would cover mosaics created by the disgraced priest.
In a statement sent to OSV News April 3, Patrícia Duarte, the shrine's spokesperson, said that the shrine "categorically repudiates the acts" allegedly committed by Father Rupnik "and has already expressed its solidarity with the victims."
"As for the mosaic panel from the Centro Aletti, which is located in the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, we are not considering its removal," Duarte said.
However, the spokeswoman told OSV News that since being made aware of the allegations against Father Rupnik, the shrine had "suspended the use of the image, the entirety of the work, and its details in our promotional materials."
Dedicated in 2007, the Basilica of the Holy Trinity is located on the grounds of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, the site of the famed apparitions of Mary to three shepherd children.
Father Rupnik and the Centro Aletti, the artistic community he founded, were hired by the basilica to create a mosaic behind the main altar. According to the website of the Diocese of Leiria-Fatima, the priest was commissioned in 2013 to create icons featuring two of the visionaries: Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto.
A former Jesuit, Father Rupnik, 70, was briefly excommunicated by the church in 2020 for absolving an Italian novice with whom he had sex. The excommunication was lifted after he repented.
The Jesuits disclosed in December 2022 that it had suspended the Slovenian artist after allegations of abuse had surfaced. However, the Jesuits said the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith dismissed the claims because the allegations surpassed the statute of limitations.
In June 2023, Father Rupnik was expelled from the Jesuits for refusing to obey restrictions imposed upon him related to the sexual, spiritual and psychological abuse of some two dozen women and at least one man over the course of 30 years. He was incardinated into the Diocese of Koper in his native Slovenia in August 2023.
The alleged victims of Father Rupnik have called for the removal of the priest's artwork, saying it is a painful reminder of the abuse they suffered. One of his victims, Sister Samuelle, said she was abused while they were installing a mosaic.
Hundreds of Father Rupnik's mosaics are displayed in churches, basilicas and shrines around the world, including the Vatican. Since the revelations of abuse against the priest, several of those shrines, including the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington and the Holy Family Chapel at the Knights of Columbus' headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut, as well as the basilica in Lourdes, have opted to cover the mosaics out of respect for his victims.
Although the basilica at Fatima is not considering the removal of the artwork, its suspension of using Father Rupnik's artwork in promotional materials falls in line with a request made in June 2024 by Boston Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, as president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, calling on the dicasteries of the Roman Curia to exercise "pastoral prudence" in displaying Father Rupnik's artwork.
Cardinal O'Malley also said that while the presumption of innocence should be respected, Vatican offices should "exercise wise pastoral prudence and compassion toward those harmed by clerical sexual abuse."
"Pope Francis has urged us to be sensitive to and walk in solidarity with those harmed by all forms of abuse. I ask you to bear this in mind when choosing images to accompany the publication of messages, articles, and reflections through the various communication channels available to us," the cardinal said.
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Junno Arocho Esteves writes for OSV News from Malmö, Sweden.
