The reinstatement of a priest found to be credibly accused of abuse undermines the work of thousands of volunteers dedicated to stringent safeguarding in Ireland, according to an Irish abuse survivor and expert.
So, former Jesuit Marko Ivan Rupnik, the priest dismissed by the Society of Jesus after it was determined that charges of his sexual ‘misconduct’ with between nine and 20 or more women, and at least one man, were credible, has been incardinated as a priest in Slovenia’s Diocese of Koper.
Pope Francis has lifted the statute of limitations on abuse accusations against Fr Marko Rupnik to allow for a formal investigation of the case by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
“We had hoped, but…” is what Cleopas told the hidden Lord on the road to Emmaus about the experience of desolation in the early Church following the Crucifixion.
While the doors of the Synod on Synodality, taking place in the Vatican October 4-29, are closed to journalists and the public, a group of survivors of sexual abuse anxiously awaits news on how the assembly addresses the clerical sexual abuse that affected their lives so painfully.
Advocates say getting rid of the statute of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse is a matter of moral justice, but the Archdiocese of Boston says the move will hurt its own efforts to help sexual abuse victims.
Chai Brady
Michael Kelly