Jesuits warned Slovenian Bishop about incardinating Rupnik. Slovenian Bishops' Conference not involved in decision.

In connection with the case of Father Rupnik, the Pope has decided to abolish the statute of limitations

Verschueren warned Bizjak that many charges against Rupnik were still unresolved and that Rupnik had not complied with the measures imposed on him by his superiors.

In September, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors warned the Pope that there were serious problems in handling the case of Father Marko Rupnik and the lack of contact with the victims. As a result, the Pope asked the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to review the case and decided to lift the statute of limitations to allow the process to run, the press center of the Holy See said. Regarding Rupnik's incardination to the Koper diocese, the Slovenian Bishops' Conference and the Delegate of the International Houses of the Jesuit Order in Rome, Johan Verschueren, also spoke.

As they wrote in the message, Pope Francis is firmly convinced that if the Church has to learn anything from the synod, it is to listen attentively and compassionately to those who suffer, especially to those who feel pushed away from the Church.

Let us remind you that in December of last year, the accusations of former nuns from the Loyola community came to the public, that Father Rupnik allegedly abused them mentally and physically in the years 1992-1993. During the investigation of the case, it was emphasized that no minors were involved in the case, and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith concluded after the investigation that the charges against Father Rupnik had expired, so the case was closed last October.

The Society of Jesus initially took precautionary measures following the allegations. Thus, Rupnik was no longer allowed to confess, be a spiritual leader and conduct spiritual exercises, and was not allowed to appear publicly without the permission of the local superior. Rupnik violated most of these measures, so the Society of Jesus decided to expel him due to his disobedience.

Former Slovenian Jesuit and artist Marko Ivan Rupnik was expelled from the Jesuit order in June. According to Druzina, the Jesuits stated that Rupnik was not expelled because of allegations of abuse, but "because of his stubborn refusal to take the vow of obedience".

Rupnik applied for acceptance into the Koper diocese before he was expelled from the Jesuit order, and he was incardinated into the diocese in August. The Vicar General of the Diocese of Koper, Slavko Rebec, explained on Wednesday that the Bishop of Koper accepted Rupnik on the basis of the decree on his dismissal from the Jesuit order, his application for admission to the Diocese of Koper, and the fact that Rupnik was not sentenced by any court. "Until Rupnik is sentenced, he enjoys all the rights and duties of diocesan priests," explained Rebec.

The Bishop of Koper received a warning regarding Rupnik

The delegate of the international houses of the Jesuit order in Rome, Johan Verschueren, confirmed on Thursday that he had warned Koper Bishop Juri Bizjak about Rupnik when he learned that he intended to accept him among the diocesan priests, reports from the AP press agency are summarized by the Slovenian Catholic weekly Družina.

Response of the Slovenian Bishops' Conference (SŠK)

SŠK did not participate in the process of Rupnik's incardination to the Bishopric of Koper, they wrote in a message today. They add that each bishop is autonomous and independent in this regard, so he is not obliged to inform the SŠK about it. After the Jesuit superiors confirmed the credibility of various abuses, the SŠK adopted a position regarding the Rupnik case already in December last year, the SŠK announced.

In this year, Marko Ivan Rupnik was dismissed from the Jesuit order. In the sense of church law, such an extreme measure cannot be understood otherwise as a criminal sanction for serious, inadmissible acts. On October 27, 2023, Pope Francis also asked the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to review the case, and decided to lift the statute of limitations, thereby enabling an investigation.

"Bishops, we are on the side of the victims, so that they will be heard and that they get justice. Those responsible in the Church will monitor what is happening in our church communities, so that in the future there will be no abuse of authority by persons who have any leadership role in the Church. "In this sense, preparations are underway for the establishment of a new structure for help and prevention. Learning about the very painful discoveries should be an opportunity for the purification and renovation of the Church," they wrote in the message.

In a letter during the regular general session of the Synod of Bishops on October 25, 2023, the bishops gathered from all over the world, together with Pope Francis, wrote: "Above all, the Church of our time is obliged, in the spirit of conversion, to listen to those who have been victims of abuse by members of the church body, and to make a concrete and structural commitment that this will not happen again." In this spirit, the Church's commitment to greater transparency and zero tolerance towards physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual violence continues to apply.

Verschueren warned Bizjak that many charges against Rupnik were still pending and that Rupnik had not respected the measures imposed on him by his superiors.

"I immediately wrote him a lengthy letter about the case and the many allegations or cases we had encountered. I asked him whether, even though I had informed him of all this, he would still be prepared to accept Rupnik," Verschueren said in a statement to the AP. He also confirmed that he had checked whether his letter had been forwarded to Bishop Bizjak.

Verschueren said that in his letter he had also mentioned Rupnik's canonical punishment, namely excommunication in 2020, for having given an absolution to a woman with whom he had sex. Two weeks later, the excommunication was lifted by the Vatican because Rupnik admitted and repented of his sin. After the Jesuits conducted their own investigation and gathered other allegations, they concluded that the abuse allegations were highly credible.

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