The Society of Jesus has decided to expel Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik. The Jesuits themselves acknowledge that this is a tough decision, saying that it is with a 'heavy heart' that they have come to this point. The main reason was Fr. Rupnik's ' persistent refusal to respect the vow of obedience.'
The person involved was informed of the decision on June 14 and now has 30 days to file an appeal.
Last February, the team in charge of studying the accusations against Fr. Rupnik delivered the conclusions of their study to the Society of Jesus. In it, they point out that the accusations against the famous artist and Jesuit theologian are 'numerous,' 'all kinds' and span more than 30 years. In other words, these are not isolated cases.
Jesuit superiors said they consider the allegations to have a 'very high' degree of credibility. That is why they suggested that Fr. Rupnik change communities and accept a new assignment. The Jesuits offered him a last chance to come to terms with his own past. However, Fr. Rupnik repeatedly rejected this possibility. Therefore, the decision was made to expel him.
By the end of 2022, the Society of Jesus had already restricted him from hearing confessions and conducting retreats.
FR. ARTURO SOSA
Superior General, Society of Jesus
December 2022
Depending on how the process evolves, there will be more (measures) and we will see what to do.
The events being investigated originally seemed to be isolated cases. But the team in charge of studying the case received many more over the last months. They have not specified exactly how many. Neither have they provided any details.The press release announcing Fr. Rupnik's dismissal states that once it is final, it will be possible 'to go deeper into the matter.'
JRB
TR: KG
