The victims in the Rupnik case report that they have been months without receiving information about the canonical process announced by the Vatican, which has generated indignation and new criticisms for the lack of transparency in the management of one of the most serious scandals in recent decades.
“We know nothing”: the victims’ complaint
Through their lawyer, Laura Sgrò, several of the women who reported sexual and psychological abuses by the former Jesuit Marko Rupnik have expressed their frustration at the silence of the Vatican authorities. This was reported by the Italian media Il Messaggero.
According to their explanation, despite repeated requests directed to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, they have received no information about the status of the process, not even basic data such as the composition of the tribunal or the calendar of proceedings.
“The victims are completely unaware of what is happening,” warns the lawyer, emphasizing that this situation violates elementary principles of justice and exacerbates the suffering accumulated over years.
A process announced, but without visible progress
Pope Leo XIV announced on November 7, 2025, that the new canonical trial against Rupnik had begun and that the judges in charge of the case had already been appointed.
However, months later, no additional information has been made public. Neither the number nor the names of the tribunal members have been officially communicated, which has fueled the sense of opacity.
Years of waiting and growing unease
The case affects nearly three dozen women who allegedly suffered abuses over decades, since the 1980s. For the victims, the lack of progress is not only “intolerable,” but it prolongs the harm suffered.
Their defense insists that it is necessary to guarantee both the right to a fair trial and respect for reasonable timelines in the process, something that, in their view, is not being fulfilled.
A case marked by controversy
The management of the Rupnik case has been surrounded by controversy from the beginning. The priest, a renowned artist and influential figure in ecclesiastical circles, allegedly had support within the hierarchy for years.
Among the most controversial episodes is the lifting of his excommunication in 2020, which has raised questions about the actions of the Vatican authorities.
Open debate about his works
While the victims continue without answers, the debate within the Church about the fate of Rupnik’s artistic works, present in shrines and temples around the world, continues.
Some bishops have chosen to remove or cover them, as in Lourdes, where it was considered that their presence increased the victims’ suffering. In other places, however, no decisions have been made, reflecting the existing division.
A silence that aggravates the crisis of trust
The lack of information about the canonical process once again places the issue of transparency in the Church at the center of the debate.
For the victims, the problem is not only the past, but the present: months after the official announcement of the trial, they still do not know what is happening. A situation that, far from closing wounds, threatens to deepen distrust toward the institutions responsible for administering justice.