Despite apparent papal approval for plans to cover mosaics by the disgraced Fr. Marko Rupnik in other cities, the international Marian shrine of Fátima, Portugal, does not plan to remove or cover a massive Rupnik mosaic.
While Church leaders in Fátima say they do not plan to cover the Rupnik mosaic, some Portuguese ecclesiastical leaders have told The Pillar that they believe that art from the allegedly sexual abusive Rupnik should be judged distinctly from the man who created it.
With the prospect of a papal visit to Fátima next year, it is possible the shrine will face ongoing questions over the controversial mosaics.
Rupnik is currently on trial in the Vatican, accused of multiple counts of sexual, spiritual, and psychological abuse of dozens of women. Some cases of abuse are alleged to have taken place as part of the creation process of his artwork, which has been featured prominently in numerous sites across the world.
The disgraced priest, who was expelled from the Jesuits in 2023, was previously briefly excommunicated for the canonical crime of absolving a sexual partner, though later reinstated.
Amid global outrage over the priest’s conduct, some shrines and churches have begun covering mosaics created by Rupnik and his studio, which can be found in churches around the world.
But last year, the Fátima shrine issued a statement saying it would not remove the Rupnik mosaic.
“The Shrine of Fátima categorically condemns the acts committed by Father Rupnik and has already expressed its solidarity with the victims,” the statement said. “We are not considering removing the mosaic panel by the Aletti Centre, which is located in the Basilica of the Holy Trinity. However, since we became aware of the allegations against Marko Rupnik, we have suspended the use of the image, both in its entirety and any details thereof, in our promotional materials.”
The decision to leave the mosaic untouched runs counter to that taken recently by the shrine in Lourdes, France. The bishop of Lourdes recently told a French magazine that he was following Pope Leo’s guidance in ordering the mosaics at the site to be permanently covered.
In an interview with Paris Match, published Aug. 31, Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Lourdes said that Pope Leo asked him during an audience how the shrine was handling the Rupnik image at the site, and expressed approval for the decision to cover it.
The bishop said Pope Leo told him that he had personally ordered the Vatican to stop using Rupnik’s images in its communications materials.
After those statements, The Pillar asked the Fátima shrine whether its position about its own Rupnik mosaic had changed, but was told there is no update to the shrine’s stance.
The Pillar spoke with a number of bishops and influential Church figures in Portugal about the controversial mosaics. Several defended their continuing presence at the holy sites, saying the artist and the artwork should be viewed separately.
One cleric, who asked not to be identified because he holds positions of responsibility within the shrine, said destroying the artwork could be seen as “puritanism.”
The cleric suggested that maintaining the art might in fact be a way of honoring those who had worked on the project with Rupnik, and who were not responsible for his crimes, but may even have been victims themselves.
Bishop Virgílio Antunes, president of the Portuguese bishops’ conference and chairman of the National Council of the Fátima Shrine, said that in his view, “one cannot separate the artwork from the context and the circumstances in which it was created.”
Still, he continued, neither he nor the bishops’ conference “believe that, at this moment, there are reasons to propose any change to the position already taken by the shrine” — namely, keeping the mosaic in place.
Antunes acknowledged to The Pillar that the bishops’ conference has not held any specific consultations with victims on the matter.
The bishops’ conference “naturally recognizes the importance of listening to and supporting the victims, and of taking into consideration their suffering and dignity, and hopes that this is being done at the most local levels and within the framework of the canonical process reportedly underway at the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith,” he said.
Sofia Marques, part of the Portuguese Jesuits’ safeguarding team, told The Pillar that the presence of a 500 square-meter mosaic in the sanctuary of the Basilica in Fatima could very well be “a source of suffering for people who have been hurt, not only Rupnik’s victims, but any victim of abuse in a Catholic setting, be it sexual or spiritual in nature.”
But in her view, a top-down decision to remove or cover the mosaic may be an inadequate solution.
“My concern in this case is that any unilateral decision might not feel like a protection of the victims, but once again of disenfranchisement, an exercise of power in which their opinions are not taken into account,” she said.
Marques instead suggested the creation of a memorial sign or “trigger warning” near the mosaic to recognize the suffering of victims.
While the controversy over the Rupnik image continues, it is possible that the pope himself could take action ahead of a possible visit to Fatima for the anniversary of the apparitions.
The shrine’s own bylaws state explicitly that “as part of its specific oversight of shrines, it is the responsibility of the Apostolic See to issue guidelines, which will be followed by the Shrine.”
The bishops contacted by The Pillar confirmed that if the Vatican were to order the removal of the mosaic, the shrine would comply, though they were skeptical that the pope would exercise this option.
One bishop suggested that Leo could visit Fátima without entering the Basilica of the Holy Trinity, where the Rupnik image is located. Both Pope Francis and Pope Benedict held open-air masses in Fátima, without ever visiting the basilica, which was built in 2007.
Is that photo really of the basilica? It looks like an office building. Very blocky.
This is evil. I’ve seen that mosaic and it reeks of evil