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[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis removes cardinal-vicar, auxiliary bishop of Rome reportedly over tensions and Rupnik caseCdl. De Donatis and Bishop Libanori have been marked by key involvement with, but differing stances on, the Fr. Marko Rupnik case.ROME (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis has removed the cardinal-vicar of Rome and one of the city’s auxiliary bishops, in a move which is suggested to be due to personal conflicts and objections to the Pope’s handling of the Father Marko Rupnik case. Announced by the Holy See Press Office bulletin April 6, Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Angelo De Donatis as...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis accused of opposing reforms to tackle clerical sexual abuseActivists say pontiff also ‘turning a blind eye’ to priests who assault nuns and force them to have abortionsPope Francis has been accused of opposing reforms that would seriously address the problem of clerical sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults, while “turning a blind eye” to priests who assault nuns and force them to have abortions.Francis promised to “spare no effort” to bring to justice paedophile priests and the bishops who covered up their crimes at an unprecedented summit in February 2019, an event that was supposed...

[Catholic Caucus] Milwaukee response to clergy complaint raises questionsWhile Pope Francis has urged diocesan bishops to take more seriously the canonical discipline of clerics, the outgoing chairman of the U.S. bishops’ canonical affairs committee has not taken steps to address canonically reports of public cohabitation by a senior-ranking official in his archdiocese. A spokesperson for Archbishop Jerome Listecki of Milwaukee told The Pillar that the archdiocese has “spoken with” judicial vicar Fr. Mark Payne, who hired as a parish schoolteacher last year a layperson with whom he had maintained a public romantic relationship, and with whom he has shared a...

[Catholic Caucus] Sexual abuse survivors question why Pope took so long to stop protecting RupnikSex abuse survivors groups are asking why Pope Francis took so long to waive a statute of limitations to permit the possible prosecution of Slovenian priest-artist Father Marko Rupnik.Victims “need justice, not talk,” said Irish abuse survivor Marie Collins (pictured), a former member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) who resigned in protest in 2017.For over a year, the furore surrounding Rupnik, perhaps contemporary Catholicism’s most famed muralist, who has been accused of sexually assaulting around 25 adult women over a 30-year...

[Catholic Caucus] Papal priorities? Traditional vestments cause ‘scandal’ while Rupnik returns to ministryPope Francis has accused young priests who wear traditional priestly garments of “clericalism”.Addressing hundreds of synodal participants in the Paul VI audience hall at the Vatican, the Pontiff stated that it was a “scandal” to “go to ecclesiastical tailors in Rome [and] see… young priests trying on cassocks and hats or albs and surplices with lace.”“Clericalism is a whip, it is a scourge, it is a form of worldliness that soils and damages the face of the Lord’s bride; and enslaves God’s faithful holy people,” he added.The Holy...

[Catholic Caucus] Disgraced Fr. Marko Rupnik incardinated into Slovenian diocese despite history of abuseThe former Jesuit, Fr. Marko Rupnik, has found a new home in a diocese in his homeland of Slovenia, meaning that his priestly ministry will continue unabated despite allegations of serial abuse.KOPER, Slovenia (LifeSiteNews) — The disgraced ex-Jesuit priest, Father Marko Rupnik has been incardinated into a diocese in his native Slovenia after he was expelled from the Jesuits during the summer. After reports circulated earlier Wednesday morning, confirmation from the Diocese of Koper was sent to katolische.de, stating that Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik “has been incardinated...

[Catholic Caucus] The Diocese of Rome’s Rupnik problemThe case of Marko Rupnik, the priest, former member of the Society of Jesus, and alleged serial sexual abuser, is back in the news Monday, after the Diocese of Rome published a statement on its investigation into the artistic community where Rupnik lived and worked. But rather than shedding new light on the accusations against the disgraced religious artist, or how he was allegedly able to groom and sexually abuse women religious for decades, the pope’s diocesan curia issued a statement exonerating the artistic community where he lived and worked. The statement from...

[Catholic Caucus] Archbishop Viganò: Rupnik report shows ‘heretics’ and ‘perverts’ enjoy ‘total impunity’ under BergoglioBy now it is clear that the Bergoglian court does not serve the Church of Christ, but has embedded itself in it like a tumor to usurp its authority and destroy it from within.Editor’s note: The following is a commentary from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, first posted on X/Twitter, about the Diocese of Rome’s recent statement regarding Father Rupnik and his Aletti Center.(LifeSiteNews) — The declarations of the Vicariate of Rome on the Aletti Centre (the company that produces Father Marko Rupnik’s expensive and horrendous mosaics)...

[Catholic Caucus] Who is Marko Ivan Rupnik, & why did the Bergoglians shelter him?Marko Rupnik: case closed I’m not going to talk much about the case of Fr. Marko Rupnik, mosaic artist and former Jesuit, from the point of view of its history and particulars. Rather, I’d like to talk about what his art means. The broad outlines of the scandal can be found everywhere. The Pillar Catholic has had pretty steady coverage of all the ups and downs - none surprising if you know something about the situation in the Vatican and the Jesuit order. The affair seems to...

[Catholic Caucus] BREAKING: Jesuits expel alleged serial abuser Fr. Rupnik, but he remains a priestFr. Marko Rupnik will have 30 days to appeal the decision or face being permanently ousted from the Jesuit order after allegations about his history of sexual abuse have made headlines in recent months.Fr. Rupnik during a 2018 Vatican News featureROME (LifeSiteNews) — Superiors of the Jesuit order have expelled the disgraced sexual abuser Father Marko Ivan Rupnik from the order, citing his “stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience.”News of Rupnik’s dismissal from the Jesuits came via a decree signed on June 9, and...

Jesuits expel prominent priest Rupnik after allegations of abuse against adult womenPope Francis’ Jesuit religious order said Thursday it has expelled a prominent Slovenian priest from the congregation following allegations of sexual, spiritual and psychological abuses against adult women.A statement from the Jesuits, obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, said the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik was dismissed from the Jesuit order by decree on June 9 “due to stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience.”Rupnik is one of the most celebrated religious artists in the Catholic Church, whose mosaics decorate churches and basilicas around the world, including at...

‘Descent into Hell’: An alleged Rupnik victim speaks outAn alleged victim of Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik has detailed the sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse she said she suffered as a religious sisterAn alleged victim of Slovenian Jesuit artist Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik detailed on Sunday the sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse she said she suffered as a religious sister, in a new interview with Italian media.Allegations against the Jesuit priest have become a point of scandal in the Church, after Rupnik was accused of serially abusing Slovenian consecrated women in the 1980s and 1990s.The allegations were sent to the Dicastery...