The National Catholic Register, a publication owned by US Catholic broadcaster EWTN, published an editorial calling for the removal of all sacred artworks attributed to the disgraced Slovenian Jesuit priest Rev. Marko Rupnik and his atelier for his alleged sexual abuse of religious women from the congregation he co-founded.
It was initially reported last December that the Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana confirmed the dissolution of the congregation "due to serious problems concerning the exercise of authority and the way of living together."
Rupnik was reportedly known for his closeness to Pope Francis, who was himself a Jesuit, as well as his unique religious artwork, which spanned from Washington to Lourdes to Rome itself and beyond. The highlight of his artwork was the logo of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, which the Vatican allotted in 2016.
"While it is far short of the sort of justice that this case demands, we have reached beyond the point in the Father Marko Rupnik scandal when concrete steps must be taken to remove the disgraced artist's ubiquitous mosaics from public display," the Register's editorial team wrote.
"It might take years. It might prove costly. It will be a burden, to be sure. But the sooner the process begins, the better."
Register Editorial: Rupnik's Artwork Not Entitled to Due Process
However, the editors stressed that their call to remove Rupnik's works in churches around the world was "not an expedient surrender to iconoclasm or 'cancel culture,' even though the court of public opinion already has judged him guilty of sexually, spiritually and psychologically manipulating and abusing multiple religious sisters under his authority."
It was also recently revealed that five additional complaints against Rupnik have already been forwarded to Vatican investigators.
According to the Italian news agency Ansa, the testimonies of five alleged victims were presented at the Vatican's doctrine office in Rome by Italian lawyer Laura Sgrò on Apr. 3. Two of the alleged victims earlier shared their testimony at a press conference in February, the Register reported at the time.
"We still don't know all the facts, and we don't know what legal fate awaits the former Jesuit," the editorial added. "The point is this: Father Rupnik is entitled to due process. His artwork is not."
"Nowhere is it written that works of art must remain on display until a guilty verdict is rendered in a court of law. Tastes matter. Perceptions matter. That is all the justification that's necessary right now. As an artist, Father Rupnik can certainly appreciate this. Greater artistic talents have endured far worse."
Rupnik was formally expelled from the Society of Jesus (the formal name of the Jesuits) in June 2023 and was incardinated into the clergy of his home nation of Slovenia.
Rupnik's Art No Longer Serves its Purpose: Editorial
The Register further insisted that Rupnik's clients, including the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington DC, should consider removing or destroying his artworks as they were "no longer capable (if they ever were) of achieving" their purpose of "[lifting] minds and hearts toward God."
"Those long faces, those black eyes - they send our minds and hearts elsewhere now, causing scandal," the Register's editorial added. "Whatever beauty and religiosity they once possessed is lost; the allegations against Father Rupnik are too numerous and too dark. If even one of these claims proves true, the wounds his victim will have suffered are so profound they may never fully heal on this side of heaven."
The call followed a resolution by a local Knights of Columbus council calling the organization's leadership to consider removing Rupnik's artwork from the church.
"[The Cardinal O'Boyle Council 11302] calls upon the executive leadership of the Washington, DC State Council of the Knights of Columbus (State Council) and the executive leadership of the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus (Supreme Council) to renovate the Shrine such that the mosaics in both the Redemptor Hominis Church and the Luminous Mysteries Chapel created by Fr. Rupnik are removed and replaced with liturgical art suitable to the celebration of the sacraments," the resolution wrote, as obtained by The Pillar.
"O'Boyle Council calls upon the executive leadership of the Washington, DC State Council and the executive leadership of the Supreme Council to immediately make a public apology to survivors of Fr. Rupnik's abuse for the Order's continued inaction in addressing the matter of the mosaics in the Shrine," the resolution added.
Despite the gloomy outlook, the Register ended its editorial with a sentiment of hope.
"But a blank wall and a fresh coat of paint sends a symbolic message that, through God's grace, we will someday realize the great promise: 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. ... "Behold, I make all things new,"'" the editorial concluded, citing the final chapter of the Book of Revelation, the final book of the Christian Bible.
