From NCR:
Less than one week after the head of the Vatican’s communications department strongly defended his office’s continued use of the artwork of alleged serial abuser Fr. Marko Rupnik, the president of Pope Francis’ own abuse prevention commission has written to every Vatican department urging them not to use artwork of alleged perpetrators of abuse.
“We must avoid sending a message that the Holy See is oblivious to the psychological distress that so many are suffering,” read the letter sent by Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston to the heads of Vatican dicasteries on June 26.
“Pastoral prudence would prevent displaying artwork in a way that could imply either exoneration or a subtle defense” of alleged abuse perpetrators “or indicate indifference to the pain and suffering of so many victims of abuse,” the letter stated.
Excerpts from the cardinal’s letter were included in a June 28 press release from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. O’Malley, who sits on the pope’s Council of Cardinal Advisers, has served as president of the Commission since its formation in 2014 and has long held a reputation as a reformer in abuse prevention efforts.
According to their statement, the commission has been in contact with a range of abuse victims and survivors expressing their “frustration and concern” at the continued use of Rupnik’s art by several Vatican offices, including the Dicastery for Communications.
During a June 21 speech at the Catholic Media Conference in the United States, Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the communications dicastery, was directly asked about his office’s continued use of Rupnik’s art.
Removing Rupnik’s art, Ruffini insisted, “is not a Christian response.”
“As Christian(s), we are asked not to judge,” he told the conference attendees, adding that a Vatican investigation into Rupnik is still ongoing, “an anticipation of a decision is something that is not, in our opinion, is not good.”
The communications dicastery frequently uses Rupnik’s art to accompany its online liturgical calendar, including earlier this month on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 7.
