Lourdes Bishop says time is not right for decision on Rupnik art

Vatican News

Concerning the question of dismantling the artistic works of Marko Rupnik at the Marian Sanctuary of Lourdes, the local Bishop has expressed his “personal opinion” that “it would be better to remove these mosaics” both out of respect for the alleged victims of the former Jesuit and as a form of protection for all victims of abuse. Such a decision, however, is not yet mature, and the ongoing discussion continues to provoke controversy and heated debate.

That is the substance of a statement by Bishop Jean-Marc Micas, Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes on the possibility of removing the works by the famous Slovenian mosaicist, who has been accused of sexual and psychological of adult consecrated women. After Rupnik was expelled from the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), the case against him was re-opened by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith at the behest of Pope Francis, who decided to waive the statute of limitations to allow a trial to take place.

The bishop’s statement

“Many victims of sexual violence and abuse by clerics, have expressed their suffering and the violence” they feel is done to them by seeing the mosaics at the entrance of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Bishop Micas said in his statement.

He explained that, together with the rector of the shrine, he had established a commission—composed of abuse victims (from France and elsewhere), experts in sacred art, lawyers, people involved in preventing and combatting abuse, and chaplains from Lourdes—to determine how to respond to “this difficult problem.” The group met from May to October of last year. At the same time, Bishop Micas said he read and listened to opinions on the matter from various other people, including Cardinals and bishops, artists, lawyers, victims, and pilgrims.

Polarized opinions

“Today, I see that opinions are very divided and often divided,” Bishop Micas says in his statement. “Should we leave these mosaics where they are? Should they be destroyed? Should they be removed or exposed elsewhere? There is no consensus on any of the proposals. The positions taken are lively and passionate.”

For his part, the pastor of Tarbes and Lourdes expressed his “personal opinion”: “This situation has nothing to do with other works whose author and victims have died, sometimes for several centuries. Here the victims are alive and so is the perpetrator.”

Moreover, he said, “I have understood over the months that it was not my responsibility to reason from the status of a work of art, about its ‘morality,” which must be distinguished from that of its author.”

In Lourdes, those who are suffering come first

Bishop Micas reiterates that the shrine is meant to welcome “everyone, especially those who suffer, including victims of abuse and violence, both children and adults.” At Lourdes, he continues, “the suffering and the injured who need consolation and reparation must be put first.”

So, he says, because responding to the message of Our Lady to come on pilgrimage to Lourdes, “has become impossible for many people, my personal opinion is that it would be preferable to remove these mosaics.”

At the same time, he recognizes that his opinion is not widely accepted, and has even encountered “real opposition from some.”

Working with victims

Therefore, the Bishop concludes, “The best decision to be made is not yet mature, and my conviction has turned into a decision that would not be sufficiently understood and would add even more division and violence.”

Nonetheless, Bishop Micas insists that he will continue to work closely with victims “to honour the absolute need for consolation and requirement.”

Further, the Bishop says he has decided, as a concrete step, “that these mosaics will no longer be highlighted, as they have been until now, by the light display during the Marian procession that brings pilgrims together every evening.”

“This is a first step,” he says, adding, “We will work with people of goodwill who are willing to help us to identify the next steps.”