Rupnik case exemplifies abuse in the Church but beware of instrumentalisation of the abuse by Synodalists

Women religious are repeatedly victims of abuse in the church. The theologian Doris Reisinger sees the reasons for their particular danger as being deeply rooted in the church's thinking: There is a need for fundamental equality between women and men.

The theologian Doris Reisinger believes that a profound change in the way the church deals with women is necessary in order to be able to respond appropriately to the abuse of women religious in particular. In an article for the US National Catholic Reporter (Tuesday), the abuse researcher points out that women religious are particularly vulnerable to abuse and its cover-up due to their extensive dependence on their communities and the male church hierarchy. “Women religious must be given a canonical status that allows them to effectively defend themselves against superiors and clergy, and the deeply sexist and misogynistic culture in the Catholic Church must give way to a culture of true respect for women,” said Reisinger.

As long as the church is dominated by a system in which women and men, clergy and laity are unequal, corresponding changes cannot be achieved, emphasizes the theologian: "At the moment, this kind of equality seems more than utopian." The church system is characterized by a lack of transparency and clericalism. Reisinger particularly criticizes the legal investigation and processing of allegations in the church, in which clergy judge their colleagues in the priesthood. There is a wrong focus in canon law: the sanctity of confession has a higher priority than the rights of victims, who can only be heard as witnesses in church criminal proceedings but cannot themselves be involved in the proceedings as co-plaintiffs.

Rupnik case exemplifies abuse in the church

In her remarks, Reisinger primarily refers to the case of the Jesuit Marko Rupnik, who is accused of sexualized violence and spiritual abuse of women in a community he founded. Rupnik was temporarily excommunicated because he tried to absolve a woman with whom he had illicit sex in the confessional. The Rupnik case is typical of the actions of perpetrators: "the enormous power of a charismatic priest; the carefully planned grooming that exploits the victim's trust and limits his freedom of action; and the diplomatic reticence of the responsible authorities."

In May 2020, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith formally established Rupnik's excommunication and, following his repentance, lifted it in the same month. Further complaints from at least nine women, most of them religious, for clerical abuse of power and sexual acts led to further church investigations against Rupnik in 2021. However, there was no further trial because the statute of limitations had expired.

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