Lourdes bishop covers up Rupnik mosaics at shrine

The Bishop of Tarbes et Lourdes has ordered that the mosaics created by Marko Rupnik on the two side doors of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France be covered up.

Bishop Jean-Marc Micas also announces that the mosaics on the two large central doors will also be covered in the next few days.

The mosaics by the alleged sexual abuser Rupnik, who is under investigation and awaiting a trial by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, were added to the neo-Gothic facade of the lower Lourdes basilica in 2008.

The announcement came on the eve of the plenary assembly of the French bishops at the Shrine of Lourdes, during which Bishop Jean-Marc Micas said that the entrance doors of the Basilica of the Rosary featuring mosaics by former Jesuit Marko Rupnik—who has been accused of psychological and sexual abuse by several religious women—will be covered with aluminium panels.

This measure, according to the Bishop of Tarbes et Lourdes, aims to facilitate access to the Basilica for “those who currently feel unable to cross its threshold”.

Describing it as “a new symbolic step”, Bishop Micas shared the announcement on Monday, March 31, through a statement published on the Shrine’s website.

He also emphasised that, as part of the Holy Year, he has issued a decree designating the Lourdes Shrine as one of two locations in the diocese (along with the Cathedral of Tarbes) where the Jubilee Year can be observed and a plenary indulgence obtained. Given this, he considered it essential that “passing through the Basilica’s entrance doors should reflect the symbolic significance of the moment”.

As Monday, March 31, the mosaics on the two side doors of the Basilica of the Rosary have been covered with aluminium panels. The bishop further stated that “the two large central doors will be covered in the coming days, before the start of the pilgrimage season in Lourdes”.

Bishop Micas described this as a “second step”, noting that a prior decision had already been made on July 2 to cease illuminating the mosaics during nighttime processions. For now, according to Shrine spokesperson David Torchala, no decision has been made regarding the other mosaics in the Basilica.

Meanwhile, a working group has been established to support the bishop in his decision-making process. “We prefer to proceed with careful deliberation,” said Bishop Micas, “rather than succumb to external pressures. Our approach is long-term, for the victims, for the Church, for Lourdes, and for its message to the world.”

Rupnik, 70, is accused of sexually and psychologically abusing at least 20 women for nearly 30 years at a religious community in Slovenia. Rupnik was briefly excommunicated in 2020 for absolving someone of allegedly having sexual relations with him, but was reinstated after having reportedly formally repented. 

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, led by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, continues to seek judges for Rupnik’s upcoming canonical trial, following the conclusion of the preliminary investigation.

The Jesuits – one of the Roman Catholic Church’s primary orders, founded in 1534 by Saint Ignatius of Loyola before they received their official charter from Pope Paul III in 1540, and to which Pope Francis belongs – finally expelled Rupnik in June 2023. 

(A pedestrian uses her smartphone next to gigantic mosaics, made by artist and priest Marko Rupnik, displayed on the Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire Basilica in the Sanctuary of Lourdes, in Lourdes, southwestern France on March 31, 2023 | Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

The post Lourdes bishop covers up Rupnik mosaics at shrine first appeared on Catholic Herald.

The post Lourdes bishop covers up Rupnik mosaics at shrine appeared first on Catholic Herald.