Irish bishops delay decision on art by priest accused of abusing women

Irish bishops have delayed deciding on the future of artwork in Rome’s Pontifical Irish College by a controversial priest accused of abusing several adult women.

Slovenian artist and priest Fr Marko Rupnik has faced a myriad of accusations of serious sexual and spiritual abuse of at least 20 women since 2018. He was expelled from the Jesuits last year for “disobedience”.

The chapel at the Irish College re-opened in 2010 after extensive remodelling and mosaic work carried out by Fr Rupnik. There is still an image of the controversial priest in the process of his work on the Pontifical Irish College’s website in a section on the college chapel.

Following a follow-up query from The Irish Catholic, Fr Paul Finnerty, Rector of the Pontifical Irish College – who confirmed the matter was under review last summer – said the college’s trustees agreed to “keep the matter under review”. The trustees are the Irish bishops’ conference.

Fr Rupnik is responsible for artworks at the Vatican, Lourdes and San Giovanni Rotondo. In February this year Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes said he hopes to make a decision by this spring regarding what to do with the priest’s mosaics at the Marian shrine. The bishop formed a commission last year to determine the future of the mosaics.

Speaking previously to this paper, prominent campaigner and abuse survivor Margaret McGuckian said she believed the works should be removed from the college chapel.

“If there was art done by an abuser displayed for the world to see, should that still be in place? No, I would say not. Otherwise you’re applauding him in his work, but not the real person as he was. It’s giving the person a platform, he should have no acclaim whatsoever,” she said.

“It is showing that the victims have not got a voice here, abusers are still being acclaimed if they are not coming out against it totally.”