The Bishop of Tarbes-Lourdes announced in a statement on Tuesday evening that mosaics in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes created by a Slovenian priest accused of sexual assault would “no longer be displayed” while waiting to reach a definitive solution.
“I have decided that these mosaics will no longer be highlighted as they were until now by the play of light during the Marian procession which brings together pilgrims every evening,” explained Mgr Jean-Marc Micas, who specifies that this is a “first step.”
These mosaics are the work of Father Marko Rupnik, a world-renowned theologian and mosaicist, accused of having exercised psychological and sexual violence on at least twenty women for nearly 30 years, notably within the community he led in Ljubljana, now dissolved.
“The best decision to make is not yet ripe”
Bishop Micas’ decision comes as a commission has been working since November 2023 to find a solution to this thorny issue for the bishopric of Tarbes-Lourdes.
In his statement, the bishop clarified, however, that his “personal opinion is that it would be preferable to remove these mosaics,” in order to guarantee that the sanctuary of Lourdes can welcome “everyone, and especially those who suffer; among them victims of abuse and sexual assault, children and adults.”
But, he emphasizes, “this option does not have broad support. It even encounters real opposition among some” and “today, the best decision to take is not yet mature.”
“I will therefore continue to work even more with victims, to discern what should be done, here in Lourdes, to honour the absolute requirement of consolation and reparation,” continued Mgr Micas.
The Jesuit Order, from which Pope Francis comes, expelled Marko Rupnik in June 2023.
Five women accusing this influential Slovenian priest and artist of sexual assault in the early 1990s asked the Catholic Church at the end of June to remove his works exhibited in places of worship, in Lourdes, but also Fatima, Damascus, Washington and even the Vatican.
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