By 
The bishop who oversees the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France has said the popular Catholic pilgrimage site will cover all of its mosaics by disgraced priest Father Marko Rupnik ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s visit next month.
Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes told the French daily La Dépêche du Midi on Aug. 20 that “all of the works on the façade” of the Basilica of the Rosary will be covered and redecorated out of respect for abuse victims. He also said they will remain covered going forward.
EWTN News confirmed the report with the press office of the shrine. Details about how the mosaics are to be covered and when were not yet available.
Micas’ decision to cover the mosaics comes just over a month before Pope Leo’s scheduled visit to France, which will include a stop at the popular Marian apparition site in Lourdes from Sept. 26–27.
The visibility of the mosaics by Rupnik, an accused sexual abuser currently undergoing a Vatican trial, risked becoming the literal backdrop of Leo’s rosary procession and other events at Lourdes.
The topic of sexual abuse and care for victims is still likely to come up in the pope’s meeting with French bishops on Sept. 27, though the pontiff is not expected to address the status of Rupnik’s case.
The Vatican has also said Leo will meet privately with victims of abuse sometime during his France trip, but no other details have been shared.
Covering all of Rupnik’s mosaics is the Lourdes bishop’s most dramatic step yet with regard to the artworks by the priest-artist. The mosaics were added to the neo-Gothic facade of the lower Lourdes basilica at the end of 2007.
Rupnik, who has been accused of spiritual, psychological, and sexual abuse of religious sisters, was removed from the Jesuits in June 2023 and is currently facing a canonical trial at the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith over the allegations he abused dozens of women religious, including some within the context of the creation of his art.
Micas formed a commission in May 2023 to discuss the future of the Rupnik mosaics. Since July 2024, the art has no longer been lit up at night or during candlelight processions.
For the Jubilee of Hope in 2025, the central doors of the lower basilica, which also feature Rupnik’s artwork, were covered, though the largest mosaics, depicting the luminous mysteries of the rosary, remained visible.
“My role is to ensure that the shrine welcomes everyone, especially those who are suffering,” Micas told La Dépêche du Midi. “Among them are victims of sexual abuse and assault, both children and adults. … Those who are suffering and wounded, who need consolation and healing, must remain the top priority in Lourdes.”
The bishop added that the mosaics “will remain covered after the Holy Father’s pilgrimage, following which a new process of reflection will be launched. The current commission will be expanded — notably to include artists and theologians — in order to consider the future of the basilica’s façade.”
Rupnik’s prolific art career has created a problem for many shrines and Catholic churches across Europe and North America. Rupnik’s workshop was involved in projects for over 200 liturgical spaces around the world, including at Fátima, the Vatican, the John Paul II shrine in Washington, D.C., and the tomb of St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio).
The Knights of Columbus in 2024 covered mosaics by Rupnik in the two chapels of the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., and in the chapel at the Knights’ headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut, a dramatic move that represented at the time the strongest public stand by a major Catholic organization regarding the former Jesuit’s embattled art.
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No wonder the SSPX and now the Mission of Divine Mercy are not very happy with the present state of things at the Vatican:
“Timeline of the Canonical Proceedings
1. The First Trial (Absolution of an Accomplice) A canonical trial regarding the specific crime of ABSOLUTION OF AN ACCOMPLICE (ABSOLVING A WOMAN IN CONFESSION AFTER HAVING SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH HER) ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE BETWEEN 2019 AND 2020.
• In January 2020, judges unanimously found Marko Rupnik guilty of this crime, resulting in an automatic excommunication (latae sententiae).
• This excommunication was later lifted by Pope Francis in 2020, and the verdict was kept secret until December 2022.
2. The SECOND INVESTIGATION (SERIAL ABUSE) THE CURRENT, HIGH-PROFILE TRIAL CONCERNS ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL, SPIRITUAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE SPANNING DECADES.
• Initial Dismissal: In October 2022, the Vatican initially declined to prosecute these specific allegations because the statute of limitations had expired.
• Reopening the Case: Following public outcry and the expulsion of Rupnik from the Jesuits in June 2023, Pope Francis waived the statute of limitations in October 2023, officially reopening the case for a new penal trial.
• Current Status: As of August 2026, the trial is still ongoing. The judges were only appointed in October 2025, and the Vatican confirmed in July 2026 that they are still examining documentation.
Why the Delay?
The “three-year” duration stems from the complex procedural history:
• Statute of Limitations: The initial refusal to try the abuse cases due to the age of the allegations caused a significant stall.
• Judicial Independence: The Vatican spent considerable time (from early 2024 to late 2025) selecting a panel of five independent judges who were not active members of the Roman Curia to ensure impartiality.
• SECRECY: THE TRIAL HAS PROCEEDED UNDER STRICT SECRECY, WITH VICTIMS’ LAWYERS CRITICIZING THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY AND THE SLOW PACE OF THE PROCEEDINGS.
FRUSTRATION IS WIDELY SHARED BY VICTIMS, ADVOCATES, AND OBSERVERS WHO HAVE CONDEMNED THE VATICAN’S HANDLING OF THE MARKO RUPNIK CASE AS OPAQUE, SLOW, AND RE-TRAUMATIZING.
VICTIMS’ REACTIONS: “BETRAYED” AND “ABANDONED”
Victims and their legal representatives have expressed profound distress over the lack of transparency and the excruciating delay.
• Feeling Ignored: In July 2026, attorney Laura Sgrò, representing five accusers, stated her clients feel “abandoned and betrayed” by a system that has “never welcomed, protected, or comforted them.” She revealed that despite the trial supposedly being underway since late 2025, the victims have not been summoned to testify, do not know the names of the judges, and have received no confirmation that their request to participate as injured parties has even been reviewed.
• JUSTICE DENIED: ADVOCATES LIKE ANNE BARRETT DOYLE OF BISHOP ACCOUNTABILITY HAVE ARGUED THAT “JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED,” NOTING THAT THE VATICAN’S SILENCE INFLICTS FURTHER HARM ON SURVIVORS WHO HAVE WAITED DECADES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY.
CRITICISM OF VATICAN SECRECY
The Vatican’s insistence on strict confidentiality has drawn sharp criticism for prioritizing institutional procedure over victim healing.
• “Trial in the Dark”: Critics describe the proceedings as a “trial in the dark.” While the Vatican argues secrecy protects the integrity of the process and the rights of the accused, opponents argue it prevents any public scrutiny of whether justice is actually being served.
• CREDIBILITY CRISIS: OBSERVERS NOTE THAT THE “GLACIAL PACE” OF THE TRIAL—TAKING NEARLY THREE YEARS JUST TO APPOINT JUDGES AND BEGIN HEARING EVIDENCE—UNDERMINES THE CHURCH’S CLAIMS OF A “ZERO TOLERANCE” POLICY FOR ABUSE. THE FACT THAT RUPNIK’S ARTWORK REMAINS IN PROMINENT VATICAN SPACES, INCLUDING THE POPE’S APARTMENT, HAS FURTHER FUELED ACCUSATIONS OF A COVER-UP OR LACK OF GENUINE WILL TO CONFRONT THE SCANDAL.
The Vatican’s Defense
Vatican officials, INCLUDING POPE LEO XIV and spokespeople, have defended the timeline by citing the complexity of canonical law and the need to respect the presumption of innocence and due process. They maintain that assembling an independent tribunal of external judges took considerable time to ensure impartiality, though they acknowledge the “painful” wait for all involved.”
While you are up there save some money and rip them down. Rupnik’s crimes don’t actually figure into it…his work is derivative, uninspired and unpleasant to look at. When you are done in Lourdes take the fast train to Fatima and clean it up there. I remember witnessing the atrocious mosaic behind the altar in the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity and just wondering “Why?”
The episcopal set with the responsibility for sacred art require at least as much instruction in the fine arts as they do theology…and far more in both than they presently appear to enjoy.
Why not remove them? Are they afraid to remind Leo this needs to be dealt with? Or is it ok to insult ordinary visitors?
For Rupnik’s own soul, there has been more than enough time to complete an investigation of his sins, possibly several times over. There’s no reason to drag it out any longer. The delay in the process of forgiveness and penance is careless, and the prolonged timeline only adds to the harm suffered by the victims and to the dignity of the Church itself.
It’s about time.
Whatever spirit is evoked by those monstrosities, it is not holy.
The thoughts and actions around this issue, the freedom with which it is handled in different manner at various places – ? as glimpses of the varying needs of The Church and ministries – some , with role to focus more on the fallen side / rebellion of the human person as opposed to His mercy as Divine Will that comes to cover and lift us up unto His Divinity , with the inner sorrow as prayers on both sides to help bring its graces unto generations , blessing the efforts and finances of many who helped to make such works possible .
Having seen the impressive large mosaics under same author at shrine of St.Padre Pio -friend of Luisa of Divine Will , more of peace that the mighty intercession of the St. can bring good out of this situation too . Admire the wisdom as truth of The Church, in NOT declaring the relics of the human body of Sts as ‘incorrupt’ yet honoring them – since the true glory of incorruption is not what we glimpse in such externally, yet trusting in same as we join them in our hearts , thanking our Lord . Glory be !
I trust that when the Pope sees the covered over mosaics by Rupnick he will feel some shame for his part in not dealing with Rupnick and his offenses.