This encounter left an impression on the bishop and the rector of the Lourdes sanctuary, and shortly thereafter Micas decided to form the commission on Rupnik’s mosaics in March 2023.
Approaching the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes with its soaring spires, it is hard to miss the 21st-century addition by Rupnik’s mosaic school, Centro Aletti, to the facade of the lower basilica. Rupnik’s wide-eyed figures are set against bright gold backdrops in a marked contrast with the shrine’s neo-Gothic stone facade.
The original basilica was built at the request of the Virgin Mary during the 13th apparition to St. Bernadette Soubirous in the Lourdes’ Grotto in 1858: “Go and tell the priests to build a chapel here and that people should come in procession.”
The Rupnik mosaics, added in 2008, depict the luminous mysteries of the rosary with the “Wedding Feast at Cana” in the center. Rupnik’s signature red dot decorates one of the arched panels above the entrance.
Rupnik, a priest and artist, has been accused of spiritual, psychological, and sexual abuse of religious sisters. He was removed from the Jesuits last June, and the Vatican has announced that Rupnik will face a canonical process over the abuse allegations after Pope Francis decided to waive the statute of limitations on the claims.
The priest’s prolific art career that followed his alleged abuse has created a problem for many shrines and Catholic churches across Europe and North America. Rupnik’s workshop has accounted for projects for more than 200 liturgical spaces around the world, including Fatima, the Vatican, the John Paul II shrine in Washington, D.C., and the tomb of St. Padre Pio.
Some have argued that to remove Rupnik’s art would be a manifestation of “cancel culture” and point to the work of Renaissance artists with scandalous personal lives. Others highlight the allegations that the accused priest convinced religious sisters to commit sins with him by persuading them that sinful acts would worship God and ask if his sacred art might likewise be imbued with and communicate “a false Gospel.”
For Lourdes, the problem is felt acutely as the Marian shrine is known throughout the world as a place of healing and consolation, and in this unique role should be a privileged place for abuse victims seeking healing. The French bishops have underscored this by gathering in Lourdes to pray and fast for victims of abuse.
Bishop Micas is aware that many other Catholic shrines and churches that also contain Rupnik’s mosaics may be looking to Lourdes to see what he decides.
“I very often say that the decision we will make here is made for Lourdes and only for Lourdes,” he said.
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“It cannot be extended to any other place where there are mosaics of Rupnik’s because Lourdes is Lourdes and it is for weak people, sick people, special people. And we have to serve the message of Lourdes, whatever the cost.”
Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.
