But alleged victims of the disgraced former Jesuit and many faithful are not in celebratory mood. The excommunication was lifted after only a few weeks, on the grounds that Father Rupnik had repented โ which he never did, sources told OSV News. Jesuits admitted under media pressure in December that, at the time, restrictions had already been in place including a ban on celebrating Mass in public or leading spiritual exercises. The fact had never been made public before. The Jesuits announced additional restrictions after December sexual abuse claims.
In , the Jesuits banned Slovenian-born Father Rupnik from continuing his artistic work โ before announcing his dismissal from the order in June , effective in July. According to sources who talked to OSV News, the committee would have already made the decision, but Bishop Micas reserved the right to communicate it by the end of June. The resolution was disclosed on April 16 by The Pillar, which stated it had obtained a copy of the document.
It was Branciani who in a first-ever interview by an alleged victim of Father Rupnik, published by Italian newspaper Domani on Dec. At the February press conference in Rome, she confirmed to reporters she was abused for nine years by Father Rupnik, when the Jesuit was the spiritual director of the Loyola Community โ one he had helped found with Ivanka Hosta in the early s in Slovenia.
Sister Samuelle is a diocesan hermit in a French diocese. From to , Sister Samuelle worked at Centro Aletti , a place dedicated to religious life and artistic creativity, which was established by Father Rupnik when he moved from Slovenia to Rome.
It is in Centro Aletti where Sister Samuelle has practiced her craft as a mosaic artist in the atelier led by the former Jesuit. Sister Samuelle explained that Father Rupnik took advantage of her confusion to overstep the boundaries. The pressure continued even during work on construction sites, at the web of scaffoldings put up to complete the set up of mosaics.
