Women who accuse Rupnik of abuse demand transparency from Pope Leo XIV

Five women who identify themselves as victims of abuse by the former Jesuit Marko Rupnik have written an open letter to Pope Leo XIV, dated September 23, 2026, asking for clarity and transparency in the judicial proceedings under way at the Vatican. The signatories are Gloria Branciani, Mirjam Kovač, Sister Samuelle, Vida Bernard and a woman who signs as Pia. They say they are frustrated by the lack of information about the trial, which began in the fall of 2025.

The women, who are advised by the lawyer Laura Sgrò, said they have tried to obtain details from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and have received no reply. In the letter they call this "deafening silence" a further form of violence, added to the attacks they have already suffered. They accuse Rupnik of sexual, physical, psychological and spiritual violence.

The women said the proceedings have been opaque. "We know only from the press that a trial concerning Father Rupnik has begun," they wrote. They said they have been treated dismissively and accused of lying and of seeking money through their complaints. That, they warn, may discourage other possible victims from coming forward, because the message being sent is that "it is useless to report abuse to Church authorities because nothing will happen, no one will pay for it and the victims will never see justice."

In the letter the women ask for an impartial and independent trial in which both sides are heard. "We need truth and holiness, but just as we do, the Church also needs them urgently," they wrote. They praised the decision of Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes to cover the Rupnik mosaics in the basilica there, calling it a "very strong and courageous gesture." The mosaics at Lourdes have drawn attention ahead of the pope's upcoming visit to France, where he is to meet abuse victims at the shrine.

Pope Leo XIV has previously said that judicial proceedings take time, and he has pledged that the Rupnik trial will be conducted with respect for the rights of all parties. The signatories said they want the process to be transparent and free of any shadow over its outcome, whatever that outcome is. "We do not intend to consign ourselves to oblivion or to give up on justice," they wrote, asking to be seen as "a resource, not an obstacle" in the search for the truth.