Women who say they were abused by a onetime Jesuit artist denounce an apparent rehabilitation effort

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Women who say they were abused by a once-prominent Jesuit artist say they are now being revictimized by his superiors. They said Tuesday that Pope Francis’ recent gestures and an apparent effort to exonerate the priest publicly showed church pledges of “zero tolerance” were just a “publicity stunt.” Five women signed an open letter published on an Italian survivor advocate site. They lashed out at a declaration from the Vicariate of Rome which Francis nominally heads as bishop of Rome and recently tightened his grip over. The Vicariate reported Monday that it had uncovered “seriously anomalous procedures” used in the Vatican investigation into the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik.