VATICAN CITY (VATICAN CITY)
La Croix International [France]
March 12, 2024
By Loup Besmond de Senneville
Books by Marko Rupnik, the Jesuit who’s been banned from public ministry for raping nuns, are featured at a prominent book store a few steps from St. Peter’s Square
The “Libreria San Paolo” is the largest bookstore on the Via della Conciliazione, the broad avenue that leads from the Tiber River up to St. Peter’s Basilica. Each day you can find priests, women religious, seminarians and tourists – even bishops and cardinals – browsing through the store’s countless volumes on spirituality, scripture or theology. As they mingle through the shelves, they pass by display tables featuring a broad selection of the latest titles or recommendations from the bookstore’s staff.
And among them are works by Father Marko Rupnik, the world-famous mosaic artist. He’s the Slovenian Jesuit who’s been accused of raping numerous women religious and is at the center of a continuing scandal. The Jesuits banned him from all “public ministry” at the end of February.
And yet his books are being featured at the Libreria San Paolo. They deal with such topics as “examination of conscience,” “discernment,” and “initiation into the spiritual life”. This is extremely surprising, to say the least, given that 24 people have accused the author of sexual violence or harassment.
“They just don’t get it,” said a Rome-based Jesuit who was scandalized after seeing the books by his 68-year-old Slovenian confrere so prominently on display.
In fact, some officials in the Vatican continue to downplay the Rupnik case, failing to fully understand the phenomenon of how priests can exert control over other adults. Rupnik actually concelebrated Sunday Mass on March 5 at a church in central Rome that was full of worshipers – despite the fact that the Society of Jesus has ordered him cease “all public ministerial and sacramental activities”.
And this took place with complete impunity.