WWJD
The teachers in our Catholic school in rural Canada, used a simple question to help students discern though a moral dilemma: What Would Jesus Do? It was often abbreviated, and found it’s way onto posters or was stenciled onto the wall as WWJD. This simple idea has stuck with me, though my children attended “The Bless” a long, long time ago!
(WWJD came from a gospel minister in Kansas in a series of printed messages in 1896!)
Introduction to Rupnik
Marko Rupnik is a priest and “renown” ecclesiastical artist with mosaics in the Vatican; across Europe; the United States and Australia. He has been accused of multiple counts of sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse — especially by ~two dozen women from the Sisters of the Community of Loyola. (He co-founded the order which was dissolved due to his abuses.)
Rupnik was expelled from the Society of Jesus [the Jesuits] June 2023.
Padre Pio’s tomb.
Rupnik mosaics adorn many Basilica’s & churches in Europe, including the exterior entrance to the Basilica in Lourdes and Padre Pio’s tomb.
(Padre Pio’s tomb is the third most visited Catholic site in the world. He now rests in a gold-plated mausoleum decorated with 16 different semi-precious stones including serpentine, jade and rose quartz. Seems out of place for a Franciscan monk?)
To the untrained eye his ‘art’ is…disconcerting, at best. Hilary White wrote two incisive articles showing the problems with his art. (She uses simple diagrams which are helpful for artistic simpletons like me!)
Click image to link to article
Click image to link to article
Extra background information: Rupnik was automatically excommunicated — latae sententiae — for giving absolution to a woman with whom he had sexual relations. (The excommunication was relieved by Pope Francis two weeks later.)
Rupnik has not received an ecclesiastical trial because his alleged crimes were beyond the “statute of limitations.” This means that none of the women he abused have received any justice yet. Last October, after the Synod, the Holy Father lifted “the statute of limitations in the case of Fr. Marko Rupnik to allow a canonical procedure to take place regarding allegations against the former Jesuit.”
There is ongoing debate as to whether Rupnik mosaics should be removed or not.
So, WWJD with the Rupnik mosaics?
That would be easy for Jesus, because He knows Rupnik’s true heart and soul. I suspect He would drive Rupnik and his mosaics out of the Catholic Church as fast as He drove the money lenders from the temple!
Our dilemma is that we do not know the facts, nor Rupnik’s conscience (if he has one) etc. Many good Catholics will say that “we must not judge.” Absolutely, it is not our position to judge Rupnik spiritually but it is our job to ensure appropriate treatment for all of his possible victims and to ensure that he cannot abuse again — even indirectly through his work.
Also, we must ensure that all ecclesiastical art leads people towards a deeper spirituality, and not away from God.
Logically, there are two separate questions:
1/ Is Rupnik guilty of sexual / psychological / spiritual abuse?
2/ Are his mosaics appropriate ecclesiastical art?
This means there are 4 combinations of answers:
He is guilty & makes inappropriate art.
He is guilty, yet makes appropriate art.
He is not guilty, & makes inappropriate art.
He is not guilty & makes appropriate art.
So, WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
Our actions should be based on the specific combination of answer and must be morally defensible:
Any of the first 3 options above means that his mosaics MUST BE REMOVED — even if it means the walls are left bare till a suitable replacement is found. Only the last scenario — not guilty & the mosaics being appropriate art — should lead to Rupnik’s work being preserved.
To explain:
Guilty & Inappropriate Art, is easy to understand. Scrap every mosaic made by Rupnik.
Guilty, yet Appropriate Art: None of Rupnik’s victims should be exposed to his work. Imagine someone he abused going to Lourdes for healing, to be faced with his mosaics all over the entrance of the Basilica — insult to injury.
Not Guilty, but Inappropriate Art: Ecclesiastical Art should lead us closer to Christ. If it leads us away from God, it should be removed.
Not Guilty & Appropriate Art is also easy to understand & is the one scenario where his mosaics should be retained. (That said, this is the least likely of the four options considering Rupnik has been ejected from the Society of Jesus due to “very highly credible” accusations and has been excommunicated for breaching an absolute rule of the confessional.)
If Rupnik is found Not Guilty in an ecclesiastical court — NB: which does not mean innocent — the Church should still get experts on Byzantine art, etc. to review his ‘art.’ As in option 3 above, if they conclude his work is inappropriate, all of his mosaics should be removed.
Please remember to express your opinion to your Bishop or Arch-Bishop.
Kevin Hay
You can follow Kevin on 𝕏 (formerly Twitter/“Twi𝕏”)
@kevinhay77
Title image: Jesus driving the money lenders from the temple by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, 1591-1666. This is the popular view, but may not be historically correct: “a closer and more accurate reading of the original Greek indicates that the whipping was primarily directed at the sheep and the oxen. Still, Jesus flipped over the tables of the moneychangers, so they were certainly not spared his wrath, even if the physical brunt of it was borne by the livestock.”)