ATTR: "Trinidad, Colorado - Knights of Columbus sign" By Joe Mabel, CC-BY-SA-2.0, via Flickr.
CV NEWS FEED // The Knights of Columbus will temporarily cover mosaics created by sex abuser and formerly excommunicated Marko Rupnik, a former Jesuit priest, that have been displayed for years at the Washington D.C. Pope St. John Paul II Shrine and at the Knights’ headquarters chapel in Connecticut.
The coverings come after an extensive review, and will remain in place until the Vatican issues an official decision on the sexual abuse cases against Rupnik, “at which time a permanent plaster covering may be in order,” the Knights stated in a July 11 emailed news release.
Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly stated that the decision to cover the mosaics was made “because our first concern must be for victims of sexual abuse, who have already suffered immensely, and who may be further injured by the ongoing display of the mosaics at the Shrine.”
As CatholicVote previously reported, “Rupnik was expelled from the Jesuits in 2023 following accusations of spiritual, psychological, and sexual abuse of several nuns. Prior to his expulsion, Rupnik had been well-known for his famous mosaics, which adorn churches and chapels worldwide, like in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Lourdes and the Pope St. John Paul II Shrine in Washington, D.C.”
Rupnik was excommunicated in 2020 for absolving one of the abuse victims, and was later readmitted after repenting.
Kelly stated that the decision to cover the mosaics was made after an extensive review, “including confidential consultations with individual victims of sexual abuse and those who minister to them, individual pilgrims, moral theologians and art historians, as well as bishops and other clergy.”
He added, “While opinions varied among those consulted, there was a strong consensus to prioritize the needs of victims, especially because the allegations are current, unresolved, and horrific.”
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France “both informed and confirmed” the Knights in the decision-making process, Kelly said: “Shrines are places of healing, prayer and reconciliation. They should not cause victims further suffering.”
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes also has artwork by Rupnik on display, and has not yet issued a decision on whether or not the art will be removed.
The Knights’ news release noted that Kelly’s statement emphasized that the decision to cover the mosaics at the D.C.-based shrine “is unique and that the decision is tailored to its particular circumstances.”
Kelly stated, “Context and mission matter. Every situation is different. In the United States, Catholics continue to suffer in a unique way from the revelations of sexual abuse and, at times, from the response of the Church.”
“It is clear to us that, as patrons of a national shrine, our decision must respect this country’s special need for healing,” he concluded.
Rupnik’s artwork has been used repeatedly by the Vatican’s dicasteries. On June 21, during the Catholic Media Conference on June 21 in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Paulo Ruffini, prefect for the Vatican’s dicastery for communication, adamantly dismissed concerns about the Vatican website’s use of the artwork.
Rupnik’s artwork had been on display at the Pope John Paul II Shrine since 2015, and at the Knights’ headquarters in the Holy Family Chapel since 2005.
According to the Knights’ July 11 news release, along with covering the mosaics, the Knights will also take the additional following steps, effective immediately:
- Providing educational materials about the mosaics that will make clear that the continued display of the mosaics at the shrine during the process of consultation was not intended to ignore, deny, or diminish the allegations of abuse;
- Including in all shrine Masses a prayer of the faithful for victims of sexual abuse; and
- Specially commemorating at the shrine, the feast days of saints with a special connection to victims of abuse, such as St. Josephine Bakhita.
