Newsroom (23/02/2024 Gaudiumpress) In today’s press conference, represented by their lawyer, Laura Sgro, two former nuns from the now-defunct Loyola Community, Italian Gloria Branciani and Slovenian Mirjam Kovac, publicly spoke out for the first time. They detailed the “physical, psychological, and sexual abuses” they endured at the hands of Father Marko Rupnik, currently assigned to the Koper diocese and under new scrutiny by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

“Within the community, we met – all of us young and full of ideals. These ideals, along with our commitment to obedience, were exploited for various abuses: of conscience, power, spiritual, psychological, physical, and even sexual,” Branciani shared.

The former nuns emphasized that their actions are not motivated by “personal vengeance” but by a quest for truth and justice. They called for “transparency” from the Dicastery conducting the investigation against Father Rupnik.

Branciani’s accounts are gravely serious, detailing sexual abuses that occurred both in the mosaic studio in Rome where she worked and during car trips to Slovenia. She confessed to having felt a desire to die at one point but managed to leave the Loyola Community.

“A wall of Silence’

She highlighted a “wall of silence,” as she was instructed to remain silent when she reported the abuses to her superior. A similar situation occurred with Father Rupnik’s spiritual father, who suggested she leave the community.

Mirjam Kovac shared her experiences of power and psychological abuses and mentioned receiving testimonies from other fellow nuns about various abuses committed by Father Rupnik over the years.

“The management of this case has been unclear, which is why we are coming forward in hopes of achieving greater transparency,” explained Branciani. She also stated, “Today we are sharing our story, wishing for the truth to be acknowledged about the harm we suffered and to also gain visibility. We are many, yet we are asked to remain silent, to somehow disappear, and we are discredited, which is unacceptable.”

Branciani and Kovac claimed that Rupnik abused at least 20 former nuns.

Both were accompanied at today’s press conference by their lawyer, Laura Sgro, who will represent them in all legal proceedings. Sgro mentioned that “new legal actions are being considered” but did not provide further details.

The Vatican Responds

The Vatican Press Office stated that the investigation against Father Rupnik is ongoing: “The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has contacted the institutions involved at different levels in the case to gather all available information about the incidents.”

The investigation has been underway since last October when Pope Francis removed the statute of limitations that could be applied to the investigated events.

“After expanding the search to previously uncontacted realities and having just received the latest resulting elements, it will now be a matter of studying the acquired documentation to determine what procedures are possible and useful to be implemented.”

As of now, there has been no mention of a timeline for these investigations.