All artwork created by disgraced priest Father Marko Rupnik at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes will be covered ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming trip to France and will remain masked indefinitely. Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes confirmed to the French newspaper La Dépêche that the mosaics adorning the facade of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary will be covered and decorated prior to the Pope’s visit scheduled for September 25–28, 2026. This decision expands on an initial action taken in March 2025, when the mosaics decorating the basilica’s entrance were first covered.
The action follows decades-spanning accusations against Father Rupnik, a 71-year-old former Jesuit facing allegations of abusing more than two dozen women. Briefly excommunicated in 2020 for absolving an accomplice in a sin against the Sixth Commandment—an excommunication lifted after he repented—he is currently undergoing a canonical trial while denying all wrongdoing. Commissioned in 2008 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions to St. Bernadette Soubirous, Rupnik’s extensive artwork at the sanctuary has since drawn significant public outcry and debate.
Bishop Micas emphasized that his primary duty is to ensure the Lourdes sanctuary remains an open haven for all pilgrims, especially victims of sexual abuse for whom the presence of Rupnik’s artwork made visits painful or impossible. Following consultations with a special commission established in 2023—comprising legal experts, sacred art specialists, and abuse survivors—the bishop determined that the distressed and wounded seeking consolation must come first. He stated that the coverage will remain in place indefinitely, regardless of the ultimate verdict in Rupnik’s canonical trial.