A priest from Slovenia reportedly close to the Pope has been charged with inviting two nuns to engage in a threesome and referring to it as a "Holy Trinity."
According to Daily Mail, Marko Ivan Rupnik, a 68-year-old priest, has been accused by a former nun of using his influence over her to engage in sexual activity and watch pornographic films for three decades. At the time of the alleged incidents, Rupnik, known for his church-related artwork, was serving as the spiritual counselor of a convent in Slovenia. The former nun, now 58 years old, has claimed that her complaints about Rupnik's behaviour were ignored.
The Accusation of Sexual Abuse
A former nun has accused Rupnik of sexual abuse and grooming. According to New York Post, the nun claims Rupnik exploited her psychological and spiritual vulnerabilities. At the same time, she was a member of a Slovenian convent between 1987 and 1994, engaging in sexual activity with her and pressuring her to remain silent. She also alleges that Rupnik asked her and another nun to have a threesome with him, claiming that it would replicate the relationship between God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
The former nun also accused Rupnik of sexual and spiritual abuse, including the use of pornography, humiliation, and involving multiple partners in sexual activity that he claimed was in the "image of the Trinity."
The woman says that she first reported Rupnik's behaviour in 1994. Still, her complaint was ignored, and he was allowed to continue leading his community in Slovenia and later Rome, gaining an international following. The woman believes Rupnik may have harmed as many as 20 women for three decades.
In response to these allegations, Pope Francis's Jesuit order has called for any additional victims to come forward with complaints against Rupnik. It has also been revealed that the Vatican has twice declined to take action against Rupnik despite testimony from women who say he abused them.
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Ex-communication of the Priest
As reported by The Malta Independent, in May 2020, Rev. Michelangelo Rupnik was ex-communicated for a severe violation. Still, the Vatican's Congregation lifted the ex-communication for the Doctrine of the Faith moments after the priest repented. The following year, the Congregation declined to prosecute the priest for another allegation of spiritual and sexual abuse of a former nun, saying that the statute of limitations had expired.
The Congregation, responsible for enforcing Doctrine and investigating accusations of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, has not replied to requests for information about the case. Some have criticized the Vatican's handling of the case, arguing that it demonstrates a reluctance to consider spiritual and sexual abuse of adult women as a transgression that must be penalized.
Daily Mail further reported that Rupnik's ministry has been restricted, and he is not allowed to hear confessions, give spiritual direction, or lead spiritual exercises.
Despite these restrictions, Rupnik is scheduled to lead spiritual exercises at the Loreto Marian shrine in Italy next month. In response to the allegations, the Rev. Johan Verschueren, Rupnik's immediate superior, has called for anyone with old or new allegations to come forward and said that complaints would be accepted in multiple languages.
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