Mosaics by priest accused of abuse must go, women say

The Catholic Church is under pressure to remove hundreds of mosaics by a priest who is a world-renowned artist following a request Friday by five women who have accused of him sexual assault.

Slovenian mosaic artist Marko Rupnik is accused of having carried out psychological and sexual violence on at least 20 women over a period of nearly 30 years.

According to the allegations, this happened mainly within the community he led in Ljubljana. He has already been kicked out of his order following admissions he made regarding some of the allegations.

More than 200 of his works are on display in churches from Madrid to Washington, at pilgrimage sites such as Lourdes and Fatima, as well as at the Vatican.

The five women asked the dioceses concerned for his works to be taken down in a letter published Friday.

The mosaics "are exhibited in places in which each believer collects himself in prayer... and disturb the souls of the faithful", lawyer Laura Sgro wrote in the letter on their behalf.

"Many women who have suffered irreparable injuries... relive" their trauma when faced with the mosaics, the letter said.

It also alleged that Rupnik had sexually assaulted at least one nun while some of the mosaics were being assembled, while other nuns claimed to have been assaulted while modelling for the priest.

Three of the women are from Italy, France and Slovenia respectively. The other two chose to remain entirely anonymous.

- 'Prudence' -

The Vatican's head of communications, Paolo Ruffini, said last week he did not think removing the mosaics was the right move, according to a report in the American Jesuit magazine America.

"Removing, deleting, destroying art has not ever been a good choice," he said at a conference in Atlanta.

But in a letter published Friday, another senior cleric took a different view.

U.S. Cardinal Sean O'Malley, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, called for "prudence" in the use of the works.

O'Malley cautioned against showing art "in a way that could imply either exoneration or a subtle defence" of alleged abuses, or indicate indifference to what victims of abuse have suffered.

"We must avoid sending a message that the Holy See is oblivious to the psychological distress that so many are suffering", he said in the letter to Rome's Curia, dated June 26.

In Lourdes, a think-tank -- including bishops, experts in sacred art, victims and psychologists -- is considering whether or not the mosaics should be removed. Its decision is expected shortly.

Rupnik was briefly excommunicated in 2020 after having absolved someone of having sexual relations with him.

After he formally repented he was reinstated, but he was expelled from the Jesuit order -- of which Pope Francis is a member -- in June 2023.

In October, Francis waived the statute of limitations on the offences, opening the way for potential disciplinary proceedings.