Vatican defends secrecy in abuse trial as lawyer denounces closed proceedings

The Vatican on Wednesday confirmed that a church trial against Marko Rupnik, a famous ex-Jesuit priest and religious artist accused of spiritual and sexual abuse of women, is ongoing and defended the secrecy of the proceedings as necessary to guarantee the process, according to AP News. The defence came a day after the lawyer for five women who say they were abused by Rupnik penned a scathing denunciation of the Vatican's secretive legal system, in which her clients have no right to be present, no access to evidence, and no opportunity to cross-examine the accused.

The case has drawn international attention amid broader reckoning with abuse within the Catholic Church. The lawyer's critique, reported by AP News, centres on the Vatican's canonical courts, which operate under rules that differ sharply from secular legal systems. Victims in Vatican proceedings lack basic protections afforded in civil courts: they cannot see the evidence against the accused, cannot attend hearings, and have no formal right to participate in their own cases. The Vatican's statement, also reported by AP, argued that secrecy was necessary to protect the accused's right to privacy and the integrity of the process.

Rome, as the seat of the papacy and the Vatican's host city, has become the focal point of this dispute over institutional accountability. The case reflects broader tensions between the Church's internal legal traditions and international standards of due process, particularly as the #MeToo movement has intensified scrutiny of how powerful institutions handle abuse allegations. The Vatican's defence of closed proceedings stands in contrast to growing pressure from victims' advocates and international observers for greater transparency in ecclesiastical justice.

The five women say they were abused over decades by Rupnik, who is now in his seventies and was known internationally for his spiritual direction and artistic work. According to AP News, the Vatican's canonical trial began in 2023, but the women's lawyer has argued that the closed nature of the proceedings denies victims any meaningful participation or accountability. In secular courts across Europe and North America, victims typically have the right to attend hearings, see evidence, and provide impact statements. The Vatican's system offers none of these protections.

The Church has long maintained that canonical law operates independently from civil law and that its own procedures, while different, serve justice and mercy. However, the lawyer's statement, as reported by AP, argues that this framework systematically disadvantages accusers and insulates the accused from public scrutiny. The case has drawn comment from international human rights organisations and Church reform advocates, who see it as emblematic of institutional resistance to transparency on abuse.