(ZENIT News / Lourdes, France, 01.04.2025).- On Monday, March 31, the two entrance doors to the Rosary Basilica in Lourdes, adorned with mosaics of former Jesuit Marko Ivan Rupnik — accused by many of psychological and sexual abuses as well as of conscience –, were covered.The reason was given by the Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, Monsignor Jean-Marc Micas: «Together with my collaborators, it seemed to me that a new symbolic step should be taken to facilitate entry into the Basilica for all those who currently cannot cross its threshold. Therefore, all the doors of the Basilica of the Rosary have been modified.» He added: «It is the Jubilee Year. Holy Doors have been opened in Rome in the four Major Basilicas. I have issued a decree declaring that the Lourdes Shrine is one of the two places in the diocese (along with the Cathedral of Tarbes) where one can experience the Jubilee Year and receive the Plenary Indulgence. Passing through the entrance doors of the Basilica should be at the symbolic height of the moment.»
When asked if this is the first step before permanently removing the mosaics, the Bishop also answered: «It’s not a first step, but a second! The first was to stop illuminating them at night, during processions, starting last July.» And when asked about the next steps, he said: «A working group is conducting the reflection and supporting me in the decisions. We prefer to move forward calmly rather than under pressure from different quarters. We work with a long-term vision, for the victims, for the Church, for Lourdes and its message for all.»
According to Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Rupnik case has already concluded a phase of information gathering, and work is now underway to create a tribunal that can carry out the judicial process of the former Jesuit.
