Marko Rupnik was for decades a priest and reputed leader of a spiritual community known throughout the world. The Slovenian priest, a renowned religious artist protected for years by the Vatican, repeatedly abused nuns in his community.

The former nuns estimate that another 20 women from that community were abused by the Jesuit. The problem with this case is that it affects the highest authority of the Doctrine of the Faith and calls into question the role of the pontiff, writes Frans de Waal.