.png)
The Knights of Columbus announce that they will cover the artwork of ex-Jesuit, Fr. Marko Rupnik, who is suspected of abuse. They will cover up the mosaics in the chapel of the National Shrine of St. John Paul II in Washington and the chapel of the Knights' headquarters.
The Knights of Columbus are one of the world's largest Roman Catholic lay associations for men. They are a major donor and influential force in American Catholicism and around the world. They run the "National Shrine of John Paul II" in Washington DC, among other things. They ordered an investigation into the situation of the priest's abuse due to the large-scale Rupnik mosaics in the chapel of the National Shrine and in their own headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut. The ex-Jesuit Marko Rupnik was an internationally renowned mosaic artist until he was discredited for sexually and spiritually abusing a number of women. In many places, the allegations are considered very credible, but the Vatican has not yet laicized him, he is currently in Slovenia.
SEE the 6:55 Mark on the Video:
On July 11, 2024, after completing the review process, the Knights of Columbus came to a decision: "The Knights of Columbus have decided to cover these mosaics because our first concern must be for the victims of sexual abuse who have already suffered enormously in the church and who may be further harmed by the continued visibility of the mosaics in the sanctuary."
“Shrines are places of healing, prayer and reconciliation. They should not cause victims further suffering,” Patrick Kelly, the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, said in the July 11 statement.
According to the Knights, Father Rupnik’s mosaics were installed in the St. John Paul II Shrine in 2015 and in their headquarters’ Holy Family Chapel in 2005.
Along with concealing the mosaics, the Knights of Columbus will “immediately implement several pastoral measures to express the Knights’ solidarity with victims of sexual abuse,” according to its statement.
Those measures include having petitions in all shrine Masses for victims of sexual abuse, commemorating feast days of saints — such as St. Josephine Bakhita — with “a special connection to victims of abuse,” and “providing educational materials about the mosaics that will make clear that the continued display of the mosaics at the shrine during the process of consultation was not intended to ignore, deny, or diminish the allegations of abuse,” said the organization.
Kelly noted that the Knights of Columbus chose to cover the mosaics “because our first concern must be for victims of sexual abuse, who have already suffered immensely, and who may be further injured by the ongoing display of the mosaics at the shrine.”
The decision “is rooted in a foundational purpose of the Knights of Columbus, which is to protect families, especially women and children, and those who are vulnerable and voiceless,” said Kelly.
The “extensive process” preceding the decision involved “confidential consultations with individual victims of sexual abuse and those who minister to them, individual pilgrims, moral theologians and art historians, as well as bishops and other clergy,” he said.
Kelly noted that “while opinions varied among those consulted, there was a strong consensus to prioritize the needs of victims, especially because the allegations are current, unresolved and horrific.”
In the Knights’ statement, Kelly said that “the thoughtful decision of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes … both informed and confirmed us in our own decision-making.”
He emphasized that because the Knights are committed to sharing the Gospel, “the art we sponsor must therefore serve as a stepping stone — not a stumbling block — to faith in Jesus Christ and his Church.”
Regarding the Knights’ decision to cover the mosaics, Kelly said that “context and mission matter.”
“Every situation is different. In the United States, Catholics continue to suffer in a unique way from the revelations of sexual abuse and, at times, from the response of the church,” he said. “It is clear to us that, as patrons of a national shrine, our decision must respect this country’s special need for healing.”
The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has described its investigation of Father Rupnik as being at “a fairly advanced stage.” Father Rupnik is at present a priest in good standing in the Diocese of Koper, Slovenia.
On July 11, 2024, after completing the review process, the Knights of Columbus came to a decision: "The Knights of Columbus have decided to cover these mosaics because our first concern must be for the victims of sexual abuse who have already suffered enormously in the church and who may be further harmed by the continued visibility of the mosaics in the sanctuary."
“Shrines are places of healing, prayer and reconciliation. They should not cause victims further suffering,” Patrick Kelly, the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, said in the July 11 statement.
According to the Knights, Father Rupnik’s mosaics were installed in the St. John Paul II Shrine in 2015 and in their headquarters’ Holy Family Chapel in 2005.
Along with concealing the mosaics, the Knights of Columbus will “immediately implement several pastoral measures to express the Knights’ solidarity with victims of sexual abuse,” according to its statement.
Those measures include having petitions in all shrine Masses for victims of sexual abuse, commemorating feast days of saints — such as St. Josephine Bakhita — with “a special connection to victims of abuse,” and “providing educational materials about the mosaics that will make clear that the continued display of the mosaics at the shrine during the process of consultation was not intended to ignore, deny, or diminish the allegations of abuse,” said the organization.
Kelly noted that the Knights of Columbus chose to cover the mosaics “because our first concern must be for victims of sexual abuse, who have already suffered immensely, and who may be further injured by the ongoing display of the mosaics at the shrine.”
The decision “is rooted in a foundational purpose of the Knights of Columbus, which is to protect families, especially women and children, and those who are vulnerable and voiceless,” said Kelly.
The “extensive process” preceding the decision involved “confidential consultations with individual victims of sexual abuse and those who minister to them, individual pilgrims, moral theologians and art historians, as well as bishops and other clergy,” he said.
Kelly noted that “while opinions varied among those consulted, there was a strong consensus to prioritize the needs of victims, especially because the allegations are current, unresolved and horrific.”
In the Knights’ statement, Kelly said that “the thoughtful decision of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes … both informed and confirmed us in our own decision-making.”
He emphasized that because the Knights are committed to sharing the Gospel, “the art we sponsor must therefore serve as a stepping stone — not a stumbling block — to faith in Jesus Christ and his Church.”
Regarding the Knights’ decision to cover the mosaics, Kelly said that “context and mission matter.”
“Every situation is different. In the United States, Catholics continue to suffer in a unique way from the revelations of sexual abuse and, at times, from the response of the church,” he said. “It is clear to us that, as patrons of a national shrine, our decision must respect this country’s special need for healing.”
The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has described its investigation of Father Rupnik as being at “a fairly advanced stage.” Father Rupnik is at present a priest in good standing in the Diocese of Koper, Slovenia.
Source: OSV News
Comments