The announcement marked a major turnaround for the Holy See and followed an outcry among victims and their advocates over the handling of the case of the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik.
Father Marko Rupnik—a renowned mosaic artist who was expelled from the Jesuits for refusing to comply with ministry restrictions after credible abuse accusations—has been accepted into the Diocese of Koper.
The global advocacy group End Clergy Abuse is seeking to draw attention to the failure of Pope Francis to make good on years of pledges of “zero tolerance” for abuse.
“The reality of sexual abuse in our church goes to the heart of the synod’s agenda,” a statement by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors said.
The Diocese of Rome said it had discovered “gravely anomalous procedures” that led to the brief excommunication of Father Marko Rupnik and his dismissal from the Jesuits after multiple allegations of abuse.
A judge ruled Wednesday that a 93-year-old former Roman Catholic cardinal is not competent to stand trial after both prosecutors and defense attorneys determined he suffers from dementia.