A Catholic priest has been accused of pressuring a nun into a 'Holy Trinity' threesome and taking her twice to see pornographic films.
Marko Ivan Rupnik, now 68, who is allegedly close to the Pope, has been accused of abusing his 'psycho-spiritual' control for sexual gratification.
A former nun, 58, claimed her accusations against the priest, who was a spiritual director of a convent in Slovenia at the time, were brushed under the carpet.
She explained that the priest used his spiritual position to groom her into having group sex and watching porn between 1987 and 1994.
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The former nun told the Italian news agency Domani on Sunday (18 December): "Father Marko started slowly and sweetly getting inside my psychological and spiritual world, exploiting my uncertainties and fragility and using my relationship with God to push me into sexual experiences with him."
One of her most startling accusations is that the priest told the nun they could emulate the Holy Trinity if she and another nun had a threesome with him.
She said: "Father Marko asked me to have threesomes with another sister of the community, because sexuality had to be, in his opinion, free from possession, in the image of the Trinity.
"In 1992, while I was in my fourth year of philosophy at the Gregorian, he also took me twice to see pornographic films in Rome on Via Tuscolana and near Termini station. By then I was feeling terrible."
She claims she was abused while living at a Slovenian convent, but speculates that the priest may have as many as 20 victims.
While the nun claims she has tried to report Rupnik before, she said she was been cut off every time by his superiors in the church.
The priest is well-known for his religious artwork, which is displayed around the world and gained him a large following within the Catholic community.
The nun said she first complained about Rupnik back in 1994.
"He should have been stopped 30 years ago," she told the news agency. "It was truly an abuse of conscience."
Rupnik was excommunicated in May 2020 for using confession to absolve a woman for having sex with him, but the excommunication was lifted the same month when Rupnik repented.
Rev. Arturo Sosa let slip to the Associated Press about the excommunication at a Christmas reception.
While he said that the priest has been limited in his ability to practice, having been banned from hearing confessions, delivering mass and giving spiritual guidance, there is evidence to the contrary.
The Loreto website states that the apparent group sex fan will deliver spiritual exercises between 13 and 17 of February 2023 at the Loreto Marian shrine in Italy.
Rupnik's immediate superior, the Rev. Johan Verschueren, said on Sunday (18 December) that he wants to get to the bottom of the slew of misconduct allegations.
"My main concern in all of this is for those who have suffered, and I invite anyone who wishes to make a new complaint or who wants to discuss complaints already made to contact me," he said.
Topics: News, World News
Emma Guinness