VATICAN CITY (VATICAN CITY)
Infovaticana [Madrid, España]
July 22, 2026
By Infovaticana
In recent days, the portals Messa in Latino and AdVaticanum reported that the former Slovenian Jesuit, Marko Ivan Rupnik, had been acquitted in the proceedings concerning the accusations of violence; subsequently, Vatican sources cited by Il Messaggero claim that the trial has not concluded and maintain that the case remains ongoing.
The Holy See has not confirmed either version. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith maintains the utmost secrecy regarding an investigation examining allegations of sexual, spiritual, and psychological abuse brought by around thirty women against Rupnik. The lack of official information has reignited criticism over the limited transparency with which one of the most sensitive cases of recent years is being handled.
The alleged acquittal that no one has confirmed
The first reports were published by Messa in Latino, which claimed to have confirmed through “persistent and highly authoritative sources” that the tribunal had acquitted Rupnik. Shortly afterward, AdVaticanum stated that it had corroborated the news through its own contacts in the Vatican.
According to both publications, the five-judge tribunal had concluded that there was insufficient certainty to establish the element of violence in the facts under examination. According to those accounts, the decision referred solely to that specific aspect of the proceedings and did not imply a full exoneration of the priest or the closure of all the complaints against him.
However, none of this information has been officially confirmed by the Holy See.
Vatican sources say the trial remains open
According to Il Messaggero, qualified Vatican sources categorically deny that the process has ended and affirm that the trial is still ongoing.
Nevertheless, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has not issued any statement clarifying the status of the proceedings nor has it publicly responded to the reports that have appeared in various media outlets.
The silence is particularly striking because in November 2025 it was Pope Leo XIV himself who announced that the canonical process had finally been initiated, that the judges had already been appointed, and who invited the victims and the public to be patient while justice took its course.
Since then, no official update has been provided.
The victims’ lawyer demands explanations
The spread of the rumors prompted Laura Sgrò, lawyer for five of the first women to publicly denounce Rupnik, to make public a new letter addressed to the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández.
In it, she explains that, having never received any official communication about the proceedings, her clients asked her to request further clarification and to make that request public.
“Since yesterday, information has been circulating about the acquittal of Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik in the proceedings pending before the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the press has made numerous requests for us to confirm or deny the report,” the lawyer writes.
Sgrò denounces having repeatedly sent requests both to Cardinal Fernández and to Msgr. John Kennedy, head of the disciplinary section of the Dicastery, without receiving any response.
“I believe—and I am not the only one who believes—that what is happening represents a new form of violence against my clients, whose wounds remain open,” she states.
In the final part of the letter, she raises several questions that, in her view, remain unanswered: whether the trial has actually begun, at what stage it stands, who the judges are, and why the victims have still not been called to testify.
“The Church, like the victims, needs transparency, justice, and truth,” she concludes.
A case reopened after the statute of limitations was lifted
The current proceedings became possible after Francis decided in October 2023 to lift the statute of limitations that had prevented the complaints forwarded by the Society of Jesus regarding the alleged abuses committed by Rupnik over the course of decades from being judged.
In October 2025, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith announced the establishment of a tribunal composed of five judges external to the Dicastery itself and unrelated to the Roman Curia, with the aim of strengthening the independence of the process. However, their names were never made public, nor have any details about the development of the case been provided since then.
Rupnik was subsequently expelled from the Society of Jesus for disobeying the restrictions imposed by his superiors and was later incardinated in the Slovenian diocese of Koper.
A case that remains open
In the absence of an official communication from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the true status of the process remains unknown. The information published in recent days has once again highlighted the lack of transparency surrounding a case whose outcome remains uncertain.