Pope Francis’ Jesuit Order Expels “Three-Way Priest”

The Associated Press reports:

Pope Francis’ Jesuit religious order said Thursday it has expelled a prominent Slovenian priest from the congregation following allegations of sexual, spiritual and psychological abuses against adult women.

A statement from the Jesuits, obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, said the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik was dismissed from the Jesuit order by decree on June 9 “due to stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience.”

Rupnik is one of the most celebrated religious artists in the Catholic Church, whose mosaics decorate churches and basilicas around the world, including at the Vatican. The Jesuit statement said Rupnik has 30 days to appeal the expulsion order. He remains a priest, just not a Jesuit priest.

From my February 2023 report:

About 25 people, mostly former nuns, have accused Rupnik of various forms of abuse. One ex-nun told how he used what she called psychological control to force her into sexual acts, and deployed “cruel aggression” to “destroy” her, particularly after she refused to have three-way sex. His superior in the order, Father Johan Verschueren, used both male and female pronouns to describe Rupnik’s accusers.

Pope Francis’ Jesuit religious order has expelled a prominent Slovenian priest from the congregation following allegations of sexual, spiritual and psychological abuses against adult women. https://t.co/1uxDkO48GC

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 15, 2023