Leader of Czech Jesuits announces investigation into Aletti Center community
"Disturbing facts have come to light regarding the Olomouc Aletti Center."
The new head of the Jesuits in the Czech Republic has announced an investigation into a community connected to the country’s Aletti Center, a religious and cultural center linked to the Roman center directed by disgraced artist Fr. Marko Rupnik.
Fr. Pavel Bačo SJ, provincial of the Czech Province of the Society of Jesus, who took office in late May, has dismissed the director of the Olomouc Aletti Center and launched an investigation into the publishing house affiliated with it, according to a June 10 statement from the province.
The statement pointed to “doctrinally dubious texts” based on an alleged mystic, as well as reports of spiritual manipulation and discord stemming from the community. It offered an apology to those who had been harmed by the “false mysticism” surrounding the community.
The Olomouc Aletti Center aims to promote dialogue between faith and culture, according to its website. Its initiatives include inter-religious dialogue events, maintenance of a large library, and spiritual formation, as well as a film studio and the Refugium publishing house.
The Czech center lists “its affiliation with the centre in Rome” as being one of its sources of inspiration.
The original Centro Aletti, in Rome, was founded in 1991 and run by the Jesuits. It has been steeped in controversy in recent years in connection with Marko Rupnik, the disgraced priest and former Jesuit who lived at the center and served as its director.
Rupnik, a well-known mosaic artist, has been accused of serial spiritual and sexual abuse, including through overtly sacrilegious sexual acts connected to the creation of his art.
In September 2023, the Vicariate of the Diocese of Rome announced that a formal visitation of the Roman center found “a healthy community life without any particular critical issues.”
That announcement was met with widespread criticism, especially for praising the center’s members for “maintaining silence” about the scores of accusations that Rupnik spiritually and sexually abused women.
The June 10 statement from the Czech Jesuits warned that “disturbing facts have come to light regarding the Olomouc Aletti Center and, in particular, the community of the Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (SJVS), which was closely linked to them.”
The SJVS community is known for its prayer groups throughout the Czech Republic, with members numbering in the thousands. Prayer for priests is a main focus of the community. However, it has also become closely aligned with the alleged private revelations of one of the center’s female members, prompting allegations of cult-like behavior and spiritual abuse.
“The Refugium publishing house has published several publications that raise many questions and are doctrinally dubious. Their source is the alleged private revelations of Kateřina Klosová, which some Czech Jesuits have also begun to accept,” the statement continued.
The statement also distanced the Jesuit order from the SJVS community, saying, “The work of the SJVS is not and has never been the work of the Jesuit order.”
In addition to the controversial texts, the statement charged that some members of the SJVS community have committed acts of spiritual manipulation, and that the community “manifests itself in a sectarian manner and causes division and discord in local churches.”
“Therefore, it can hardly be perceived as the work of the Holy Spirit,” it said.
The leadership of the Czech Jesuits further rejected what they described as the defense of Rupnik, trivialization of his misconduct, and belittling of his alleged victims in books published by the Refugium publishing house, calling the defense of Rupnik “completely unacceptable.”
A source with knowledge of the community told The Pillar that Fr. Michal Altrichter, SJ, deputy director of the Aletti Center, is known for his repeated, public defenses of Rupnik as innocent and disparaging his alleged victims.
Bačo has ordered an investigation into the Refugium publishing house, the statement said. During the investigation, “the questionable publications will be removed from distribution.”
The statement added that a canonical investigation of the SJVS community will be forthcoming.
“As Czech Jesuits, we sincerely apologize to all those to whom members of our order have caused spiritual harm in connection with the false mysticism of the SJVS and the Aletti Center,” it concluded. “We will be grateful for testimonies that will help illuminate the context of the whole matter. At the same time, we ask for prayer and patience.”
The only fact that has come to light is Pope Francis is dead. Everything else was known
Much more is needed by way of investigating those who worked at Rome to ever assure Rupnik’s immunity. This would include Sosa, Bergoglio and Tucho Fernandez.