Gloria Branciani, ex-Italian nun, publicly revealed the abuse she suffered at the hands of the priest Marko Ivan Rupnik.
(Also read: There would be two suspects for the crime of a tortured nun with signs of sexual violence).
Before more than a hundred journalists from different parts of the world, Branciani shared her painful experience with the aim of “breaking the circle of loneliness and silence” that has surrounded her for years.
“My wish is for the truth and the evil that we have suffered to be recognized, for there to be justice, for us to be made visible: there are many more of us than two. But they ask us to remain silent, to disappear, they discredit us as 'sluts' and this is not acceptable” , declared the ex-nun.
The history of abuse, which includes sexual, spiritual, psychological and power violence, dates back to the Loyola Community in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where Branciani and Mirjam Kovac, another former nun, became Rupnik's victims.
(Keep reading: The viral 'demon nun' on TikTok inspired a school project: students got 10).
Many media from around the world at the press conference of Gloria Branciani and Mirjam Kovag, former nuns who were victims of sexual, psychological, power and conscience abuse by the famous former Jesuit but still priest and artist Marko #Rupnik @barrett_doyle pic.twitter.com/EFQP9iW9aY
— Elisabetta Piqué (@bettapique) February 21, 2024
This priest, known worldwide for his works of art in mosaics and paintings, was expelled from the Society of Jesus but continues to exercise his ministry in Slovenia.
The chilling testimony of Gloria Branciani
Branciani recounted how, as a young medical student-aspiring missionary, she was lured to Rupnik's atelier in Rome in 1985.
“I was very naive, I had low self-esteem and Rupnik began to pay attention to me, to support me in my fragility, to accompany me on my spiritual path,” she said. However, this support soon turned into an ordeal of sexual abuse and psychological manipulation, going so far as to involve her in “collective orgies” and degrading acts under the false promise of a deeper connection with God.
(Of interest: Monja is trending for her gym routine with her twin sister).
“One day Rupnik told me that our sexual relationship was not exclusive and that we had to add another sister so that we would be three, in the image of the Trinity,” story. In addition, he forced her to go watch porn movies and even asked her to perform sexual acts while she painted sacred images.
The situation worsened when Rupnik imposed silence and threats, manipulating his spiritual authority to continue the abuse. “At first I was disoriented, confused, because Rupnik entered my spiritual world with the authority of the spiritual and confessed father. His means of acting was obedience,” Branciani explained.
After years of “slavery”, Branciani managed to escape from the community in 1993, taking his complaints to the ecclesiastical authorities (among them, the superior and founder of the community, Ivanka, and Rupnik's spiritual father), who were ignored. in favor of silence and the protection of the image of the Church. Now, three decades later, he seeks not only justice but also healing and recognition for all of Rupnik's victims.
“Due to her personal interests, Ivanka preferred to cover up,” Gloria said.
Both women, both Gloria Branciani and Mirjam Kovac, are calling for a serious investigation by Pope Francis, supported by voices inside and outside the Church, including Italian lawyer Laura Sgró, who stated that “Whoever does what they did to Gloria has to go to jail.”
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*This content was made with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from La Nación, and was reviewed by the journalist and an editor.
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