Five Rupnik victims write to Pope Leo XIV

Five women accusing priest Marko Ivan Rupnik of sexual, physical, psychological, and spiritual abuse sent an open letter to Pope Leo XIV on September 23. The women, identified as Gloria Branciani, Mirjam Kovač, sor Samuelle, Vida Bernard, and a woman using the pseudonym Pia, are asking the Pope to intervene in the canonical process against the former Jesuit.

The letter, distributed by lawyer Laura Sgrò, claims the women have experienced a continued violence of silence and abandonment by the judicial system. They state they only learned through media reports that a process against Rupnik had begun. Sgrò reported that her repeated requests for information from the Dicasterio para la Doctrina de la Fe have received no response.

The signatories are seeking transparency, speed, and judicial independence. They also reported being publicly discredited through accusations that they are liars, prostitutes, or that they received money to accuse Rupnik. The women expressed concern that the handling of the case could discourage others from coming forward.