Pope orders Vatican to reopen case of priest accused of abuse but allowed to keep ministering

Pope Francis speaks during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Oct. 18. Pope Francis has ordered the Vatican to reopen the case of a well-known priest-artist accused of sexually, psychologically and spiritually abusing adult women, and removed the statute of limitations that had previously prevented a church trial based on their allegations. A Vatican statement said Francis’ abuse prevention commission had flagged “serious problems” in the way his case was handled initially, particularly in the “lack of outreach to victims.” That terminology was significant in itself because church authorities previously refused to even consider the women with claims against Rupnik as “victims.” Francis asked the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handles abuse-related crimes according to church law, “to review the case and decided to lift the statute of limitations to allow a trial to take place,” the statement said. He said he hoped for a fair trial and just outcome, so that the “confusion in the church may soon come to an end.” Francis’ Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which had flagged the Rupnik case as problematic, also welcomed the announced trial as crucial “not only for the victims but for the whole church.” “There is no room in ministry for those who would violate so profoundly those entrusted to their care,” the commission said in a statement, adding that it remained concerned overall about the church’s disciplinary procedures and their “inadequacies.” In a Jan. 24 interview with the Associated Press, Francis denied he had any role in the handling of Rupnik’s case, other than to intervene procedurally. Those gestures prompted five of the women accusing Rupnik to break their silence and write a signed, open letter saying such attitudes from Rupnik’s superiors had re-victimized them and showed that church pledges of “zero tolerance” for abuse were just a “publicity stunt.” The outcry only grew this week when a diocese in Rupnik’s native Slovenia announced it had welcomed him in after the Jesuits threw him out.