代理五名女性控诉前耶稣会士、宗教艺术家鲁普尼克性虐待和精神虐待的律师劳拉·斯格罗发表声明，对梵蒂冈的教会司法程序进行了严厉批评 [1]。
鲁普尼克曾因在忏悔室发生性活动后为当事人赦罪而在2020年遭到短暂处罚 [1]。2023年，他被耶稣会逐出，原因是超过二十多名女性指控其在30年内实施性虐待、精神虐待或心理虐待 [1]。教宗弗朗西斯在2023年豁免了该案的诉讼时效限制，随后教宗利奥十四世确认司法审判已正式启动 [1]。
斯格罗要求了解梵蒂冈对鲁普尼克的调查状态，同时指出现行制度的深层缺陷 [1]。在教会司法程序中，受害者仅被视为第三方证人，无权参与秘密诉讼、无法查阅案卷，在2019年改革前完全无法获知任何调查信息，改革后仅能了解最终判决结果 [1]。梵蒂冈官员拒绝确认或否认相关报道 [1]。
法国专家曾在2021年指出，梵蒂冈的秘密调查机制违反了其作为联合国观察员国的身份义务以及作为欧洲委员会成员的承诺 [1]。
Laura Sgro, an attorney representing five women who have accused Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik, a former Jesuit and internationally renowned religious artist, of sexual and spiritual abuse, has issued a forceful statement criticizing the Vatican's closed ecclesiastical judicial process [1]. Sgro demanded transparency regarding the Vatican's investigation into Rupnik, highlighting that victims are denied access to case details and are barred from participating in trial proceedings, while Vatican officials have refused to confirm or deny reports about the matter [1].
The case involves allegations of abuse spanning decades [1]. Rupnik was briefly sanctioned in 2020 after sexual activity in the confessional and subsequently absolving the woman involved [1]. In 2023, he was dismissed from the Jesuit order following accusations from more than twenty women alleging sexual abuse, spiritual abuse, or psychological misconduct over a thirty-year period [1].
Pope Francis waived statute of limitations restrictions on older cases in 2023 [1], and Pope Leo XIV confirmed last year that a judicial trial had commenced [1]. However, under the Church's judicial system, victims hold only the status of third-party witnesses, with no right to participate in the confidential proceedings, access case files, or receive updates on the investigation—though a 2019 reform limited them to learning the final verdict [1].
The Vatican's secretive investigative practices have drawn international scrutiny. A French expert noted in 2021 that the Vatican's confidential investigations violated obligations stemming from its status as a United Nations observer state and its membership in the Council of Europe [1].