Father Ivan Rupnik founded a Priestly Fraternity in 2019. What role does Angelo De Donatis play in this?

🇮🇹 Rupnik Case: il Cardinale De Donatis si gioca tutto pur di difendere l’artista



"You will know the truth and the truth will make you free", John writes in his Gospel. These are precisely the words of Jesus that ring in our heads in these hours.

They are words that sound far removed from those spoken by Father Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Society of Jesus. All the interventions that the Jesuit has made on the RupnikCase have been a slap in the face to the Truth that is being trampled on with the arrogance of those who feel rconfident.

The story of Marko Ivan Rupnik is a very clear demonstration that abuses, inside and outside the Church, don't matter to anyone. It is all about fiction. We have said many times that it is not necessary to open archives, start witch hunts or anything else. When a complaint is filed, however, action must be taken to ascertain the Truth. Without favouritism of any kind.

However, there is much more to this story than the abuses that Fr. Rupnik allegedly committed. It is about a system of protection involving certain people. It is about that hypocrisy against which Christ has spoken for thirty years.

It is that system that the newspapers don't talk about because they deliberately want to convey the image of a "Pontificate of transparency". This is not the case. If an unknown (or inconvenient) parish priest is accused of abuse, Holy Mother Church is strict and, without even checking the facts, suspends him and initiates all the harshest activities. The priest is thrown to the newspapers and bye bye.

If the accused is Marko Ivan Rupnik, a safety net is put in place. A veritable system whose sole purpose is to delegitimise the complainant. Cardinal Angelo De Donatis continues to propagate this lie to his closest collaborators. At the cost of undermining communion with his confreres. It would all be a plot against Rupnik. A sort of sacrificial victim, in short.

As we dig, however, details emerge.

The lies of Father Sosa

During the interview he gave in Portugal, the Jesuit Superior General gave answers that were later contradicted in the last meeting with journalists in the Curia.

The journalist asked: "Was one of the measures taken against Father Rupnik to make him leave the direction of the Aletti Centre?" Father Sosa replied: "That happened much earlier. He left the direction more than a year ago for reasons internal to the organisation of the centre, because he had been in charge for a long time and already had many commitments in artistic work”. 

In reality, Rupnik left the direction of the Aletti centre on 03 June 2020, when Maria Campatelli replaced him. This is written in decree 593/20, which can be found in the Vicariate.

In 2020, the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith issued a decree condemning Marko Ivan Rupnik for absolving the accomplice in the sin against the sixth commandment. The complaint, however, reached the Congregation already in 2019.

Therefore, even this response that Father Sosa has given, is patently false. The Slovenian Jesuit left the direction of the Centre precisely because of the decision of the Congregation. Regarding his movements, Father Sosa said that, in reality, Rupnik only travels for artistic matters. He reiterated that he is not allowed to give catechesis or speak in public, hear confessions, or preach spiritual exercises. Yet, we saw that this was not the case.

In addition to the violations of the measure that we have already highlighted in other articles, other moments emerge.

Remember what the decree says: "Prohibition of the exercise of the sacrament of confession, spiritual direction and accompaniment of Spiritual Exercises. Furthermore, Fr Rupnik was forbidden to engage in public activities without the permission of his local Superior'.

From 21 to 25 February 2022, Father Ivan Rupnik preached spiritual exercises to 120 priests at the Santa Casa in Loreto (Italy).

How is it possible that Father Johan Verschueren, knew nothing? An event that covers the whole of Italy. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in the case of Enzo Bianchi sent the letters around the Peninsula, for Rupnik not? How come? Does Bianchi have fewer protectors than the Slovenian Jesuit?

In April 2022, Rupnik celebrated Holy Mass in the Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida. Did no one know this?

Now we ask ourselves, how come Canon 1326 - §1 isn't applied?

Angelo De Donatis covered Rupnik

Among the newspapers that have not reported on the affair is, of course, Romasette, which is clearly under the hand of the Cardinal Vicar, who, in Borgo Santo Spirito, is referred to as "the hand on Rupnik's head".

Indeed, the relation between the former parish priest of San Marco al Capidoglio and the Jesuit is very close. De Donatis is a spiritual son of Rupnik and even with the Pope he has defended the Jesuit despite never having heard the testimony of the victims.

In fact, it seems that the Cardinal Vicar doesn't want to hear this story at all. When asked for explanations, he himself said that it is all calumny. De Donatis is willing to jeopardise even the communion with his fellow bishops in order to defend the Slovenian artist. Yet, the Congregation doesn't seem to take this view. In 2020, he condemned Rupnik for absolving a woman with whom he had sinned against the sixth commandment. The crime is proven. 

The cardinal received two letters from Borgo Santo Spirito in which the measures taken against Marko Ivan Rupnik were communicated. The Jesuits, however, never received a reply.

A glance at the yearbook of the diocese of Rome, the diocese of which the Pope is bishop, reveals that Rupnik has been rector of the Church of San Filippo Neri all'Esquilino since 2018.

How is it possible that the Vicar of His Holiness didn't remove Rupnik as Rector after the measures were communicated to him? The Rectory of San Filippo Neri itself was taken over by De Donatis and entrusted to the Aletti Centre. As if the Aletti Centre did not have enough money to procure facilities.

Why hasn’t De Donatis removed Rupnik from the Commission for Sacred Art and Cultural Heritage? The Vicar even inserted Rupnik in September 2020 ( in the Vicariate we consulted the decree 1021/2020) when the Jesuit was condemned by the Congregation.

There is more to it. In 2019, despite being a member of the Society of Jesus, Marko Ivan Rupnik founded a Priestly Fraternity called "Saints Cyril and Methodius". In the exact year that the process started before the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Why?

It is clear that in this story the only one who showed rigor and firmness was H.E. Mons. Daniele Libanori, who verified the facts, listened to the people involved and presented his conclusions. Apparently, however, the power of Marko Rupnik is much greater and for him the special law of amoral familism is valid, which allows everything.

L.M.

Silere non possum