Pope Francis has asked the Vatican to study whether the Catholic Church should classify “spiritual abuse” as a new crime, to address cases in which priests use supposed mystical experiences as a pretext to harm others.
A statement from the Vatican’s doctrinal office announcing the measure did not mention any specific cases of abuse, but the Vatican has had to deal with several in recent years.
Cardinal Víctor Fernández, the Church’s top doctrinal authority, met with Francis to discuss the proposed new crime of spiritual abuse on Nov. 22, according to the statement. The pope directed Fernández to work with another Vatican office to consider the issue, according to the statement.
The text cited the Vatican’s new standards, approved in May, on the evaluation of supposed supernatural events, saying it is “morally serious” to use supposed spiritual experiences to exert control over other people.
One high-profile case involving allegations of abuse concerns Reverend Marko Rupnik, an internationally known Catholic artist and former leader of a spiritual community in Rome. He was accused by around 25 people, mostly former nuns, of various types of abuse.
A former nun said in February that Rupnik forced her to have sex with him and another nun, justifying the act as devotion to the Holy Trinity.
It is not known whether Rupnik has publicly commented on the allegations. However, the center he ran in Rome released a letter in July saying Rupnik had “always firmly denied” the allegations.
The Catholic Jesuit order expelled Rupnik from its ranks in June 2023, and the Vatican reopened an investigation into his conduct in October last year.
The last news about Rupnik was that he was ministering in his native Slovenia.
This content was originally published in Vatican considers classifying “spiritual abuse” as a new Catholic crime on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
