Bishop Micas, the only prelate so far to have addressed the thorny issue of removing Rupnik’s works—still under canonical trial for sexual abuse against some thirty women—told La Dépêche that: «‹the controversial mosaics of the former Jesuit Ivan Marko Rupnik will all be covered and shall remain so even after the Pope’s visit.›» Not only that: the commission set up by Micas and Daubanes in 2023 to determine what to do has shifted into gear and will propose alternative solutions to Rupnik-marked mosaics. The bishop’s word:
«‹The mosaics shall remain covered following the Holy Father’s pilgrimage. Once it is concluded, a new reflection will commence. The current commission will be enlarged, involving in particular artists and theologians, to ponder the future of the basilica’s façade.
This said, Rupnik’s works are found the world over—yet it is always those in Lourdes that are spoken of. This fact underscores the symbolic dimension of the message of Lourdes in relation to victims of sexual violence. And it places upon us a unique responsibility.›»
This abrupt volte-face has not failed to elicit positive reactions within Catholic circles and to rekindle a measure of hope among Rupnik’s victims, who see in Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes’s decision a token of the Church’s care and, above all, an indication that Rupnik’s trial may indeed proceed to a true condemnation.
Preferisco i giorni feriali is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
How to interpret this change of course? Above all, the most obvious consideration is that having the Pope visit Lourdes with the sombre gaze of Rupnik’s Christ before him would have been altogether too awkward, exposing Prevost to the boos and reproaches of those accusing the Church of doing nothing for victims. To permit the Pope to preach with the mosaics of a serial abuser under canonical trial looming behind him would have sent the message that Pope Prevost shields Rupnik much as his predecessor Francis did.
Covering the ‘shame mosaics’ was therefore a necessary step. To have covered them solely for the papal visit, only to hasten the removal of the panels and restore them to the pilgrims’ gaze once the Pope had left Lourdes would have sounded altogether too hypocritical—and it appears even the diocese realised as much, hence Bishop Micas’s corrective after the rector Daubanes’s initial proposal.
Moreover, during his apostolic visit to France, the Pope will meet certain victims of sexual abuse: particulars remain undisclosed, yet the programme confirms that an encounter will indeed take place in Lourdes on Sunday afternoon, 27 September. Reciting the customary words of understanding and encouragement before Rupnik’s works—these very works which, more than any others in recent years, have come to symbolise the Church’s failure to adopt a clear stance on clerical abuse—would have rung too glaringly hollow.
In short, concealing Rupnik’s mosaics upon the Rosary Basilica’s façade: is this merely a cosmetic measure, or—as many hope who have been abused by the former Jesuit—an omen that, ecclesiastically speaking, Rupnik’s fate is now sealed? Hardly the case to suppose Micas is leaping ahead, despite his having never concealed a desire to clear away the Slovenian artist’s cumbersome output; so much so that Pope Francis himself summoned him at the end of June 2024 to tell him to tone things down. A few days later, on 2 July 2024, Micas could do no more than dim the night-time illumination of the mosaics, yet it was plain this was not about to end there. Indeed, on 31 March 2025—while Pope Francis lay gravely ill—he began covering those placed above the main entrance, and now, spurred by the papal visit, is ready to complete the blacking-out of the works.
To grasp whether we are witnessing the stage-setting for an event that will accompany not only the papal visit but also the abusive artist’s dismissal from the clerical state, we must wait for the trial’s conclusion. It should be recalled that, as things stand, the former Jesuit remains in every sense a priest of the Catholic Church—after his expulsion from the Society of Jesus in July 2023, he was incardinated without delay in the Diocese of Koper.
Another factor worth noting is that the victims on whose behalf the diocesan commission was constituted in Lourdes—and on whose account the mosaics of the Basilica are now being covered—have never been admitted to the proceedings that pertain to them as injured parties. Ecclesiastical justice operates differently from its civil counterpart, and the aggrieved party—those violated, maltreated or whose lives have been forever shattered by the accused—do not even have the right to learn the outcome of the canonical trial.
Finally, to obtain a clearer picture of the present situation, it should be recalled that while some churchmen act to cover Rupnik’s mosaics, many others—not only fail to lift a finger—but in fact persist in promoting his works. A recent illustration: only days ago at the Rimini Meeting, Rupnik’s Christ was seen «‹keeping watch›» over the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux:
Nor should we forget the hundreds of shrines and churches worldwide—in excess of two hundred—where Rupnik’s works (mosaics, frescoes and paintings) are still to be seen, or even still in course of execution such as at Aparecida in Brazil—all with the blessing of Pope Leo (the full story is told here).
The Pope’s 27 September encounter in Lourdes with victims remains strictly confidential, yet French press has confirmed that it was organised with l’Association des victimes de Notre Dame de Bétharram, an association founded to denounce the hundreds of abuses and acts of violence perpetrated by the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Bétharram, a town a few kilometres from Lourdes. These abuses—pedophilia perpetrated against children—should not be conflated with those for which Rupnik stands accused; none of his victims will therefore be meeting the Pope. Thus the tradition begun by Francis of ignoring the women who denounced the powerful priest-and-artist is confirmed by Leo.