Posted on 09/23/2026 9:45:57 AM PDT by ebb tide
Five alleged sex abuse victims of Father Marko Rupnik have published an open letter to Pope Leo XIV saying that the continued “deathly silence” from the Vatican surrounding Rupnik’s case adds to the violence against them.
Timed to coincide with the pope’s upcoming trip to Lourdes, the signatories contrasted Monsignor Jean-Marc Micas, bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes’, move to permanently cover Rupnik’s mosaics at the Marian shrine with the victims’ treatment by the Church up until now.
he five women explain that despite repeated urgings by their attorney to establish communication about Rupnik’s case, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has never never responded.
“This resounding and prolonged silence is experienced by us, the victims, as a further and ongoing form of violence, which weighs upon us like a boulder, adding to the violence we have already endured,” state the women in their letter. “Sexual, physical, psychological and spiritual violence – a prolonged violence in the soul – to which is now added this new and painful violence of silence and abandonment by the judicial system.”
They continue:
We have been accused – or rather, slandered – of being prostitutes, of being liars, of having taken money to accuse Father Rupnik, and of having enriched ourselves through this horrific affair. Abused and vilified, we therefore continue to suffer violence amidst the deathly silence and indifference of those who have been called upon to decide our fates. And, sadly, it is precisely the violence we are still publicly enduring that only serves to discourage those who, like us, have suffered the same treatment and might be inclined to speak out.
The women conclude that “it is pointless to report abuse to the ecclesiastical authorities, because nothing will happen anyway, no one will be held to account and the victims will never receive justice.”
They end by asking Pope Leo to heed their plea for a fair trial, clarity, transparency, speed, and impartiality by independent judges.
In August, LifeSiteNews reported that previously undisclosed letters from 22 women had described alleged abuse by Rupnik. The letters were written by the former members of the Loyola Community that was spiritually advised by Rupnik.
While Leo has suppressed some of Rupnik’s artwork, he has neither moved to excommunicate him nor laicize him after Rupnik’s automatic excommunication in 2020 was swiftly revoked under Pope Francis.
Here is the complete text of the victim’s letter, translated from Italian:
Rome, 23 September 2026
Your Holiness,
We are five victims of Father Marko Ivan Rupnik: Gloria Branciani, Mirjam Kovač, Sister Samuelle, Vida Bernard and Pia; the latter, out of a well-founded fear of reprisals, has chosen to use a pseudonym.
We have decided to write to you on the occasion of your trip to France and, in particular, your visit to Lourdes, where you will meet victims of abuse such as ourselves, in a place where Fr Rupnik’s mosaics will no longer be visible on the façade of the basilica, following the decision by His Excellency Monsignor Jean-Marc Micas, Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, to cover them up permanently. This was a powerful and courageous gesture which we greatly appreciated, not least because we have never experienced any sense of solidarity towards us; on the contrary, we have always been strongly opposed and vilified.
We have learnt only from the press that legal proceedings have begun against Father Rupnik, because our lawyer, Laura Sgrò, despite having repeatedly urged the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by every means possible to provide a modicum of clarity – out of respect for and in the interests of all – regarding the proceedings in which we are involved as victims, has never received a reply.
This resounding and prolonged silence is experienced by us, the victims, as a further and ongoing form of violence, which weighs upon us like a boulder, adding to the violence we have already endured. Sexual, physical, psychological and spiritual violence – a prolonged violence in the soul – to which is now added this new and painful violence of silence and abandonment by the judicial system.
We have been accused – or rather, slandered – of being prostitutes, of being liars, of having taken money to accuse Father Rupnik, and of having enriched ourselves through this horrific affair. Abused and vilified, we therefore continue to suffer violence amidst the deathly silence and indifference of those who have been called upon to decide our fates. And, sadly, it is precisely the violence we are still publicly enduring that only serves to discourage those who, like us, have suffered the same treatment and might be inclined to speak out.
We have become, against our will, a negative example rather than a positive one. Because the message that has come across from our complaints is precisely this: it is pointless to report abuse to the ecclesiastical authorities, because nothing will happen anyway, no one will be held to account and the victims will never receive justice. Because, Your Holiness, we have lost all trace of justice, and because a trial held in obscurity offers no guarantees to anyone – neither to the accused nor to the victims – and is incompatible with the very concepts of law, truth, justice, fairness and mercy which You, Your Holiness, have always held dear.
We do not intend to consign ourselves to oblivion, nor will we give up on justice, until the gravity of the events that have taken place is recognised and the person responsible is punished. And on this tortuous path towards the truth, we would like to be regarded as a resource, not an obstacle.
We place our trust in you, Holy Father, as the supreme Shepherd of the Church, that you may exercise your supreme authority of judgement and mercy and heed our plea – which is that of every victim of abuse who seeks the recognition of the truth through a fair trial. We ask that the right of the parties to be heard, clarity, transparency, speed, impartiality and the independence of the judges be guaranteed at all times, so that the judgement and its outcome – whatever it may be – remain free from any shadow of doubt.
We need the Truth, Your Holiness, but, just like us, the Church needs it just as much.
Gloria Branciani
Mirjam Kovač
Sister Samuelle
Vida Bernard
Pia
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“This resounding and prolonged silence is experienced by us, the victims, as a further and ongoing form of violence, which weighs upon us like a boulder, adding to the violence we have already endured,” state the women in their letter. “Sexual, physical, psychological and spiritual violence – a prolonged violence in the soul – to which is now added this new and painful violence of silence and abandonment by the judicial system.”
Ping
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