Bolzano-Bressanone is the first Italian diocese to present an abuse study

The diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone is the first Italian diocese to present a report on abuse. The Munich law firm Westpfahl-Spilker-Wastl (WSW) presented the results of its investigation report "Sexual abuse of minors and adult charges by clerics in the diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone from 1964 to 2023" on Monday. The law firm had already conducted investigations on behalf of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and other German dioceses. The South Tyrolean diocese is the only one of the more than 200 dioceses in Italy that has so far taken "the painful path of clarification", emphasised lawyer Ulrich Wastl. He praised the good cooperation, willingness to learn and error culture of the diocese leadership.

According to the report, the approximately 1,000 personnel files examined revealed 67 references to cases of possible sexual assault, of which 59 people were affected. 16 cases remain unsolved. A total of 41 priests were accused - in the case of 29 priests, the allegations were either overwhelmingly likely or verifiably true, while the allegations of 12 others could not be sufficiently assessed. Some priests are accused of multiple offences.

In 24 cases of sexual abuse by clerics, those responsible in the diocese had acted incorrectly or at least inappropriately, in some cases for years. Wastl cited the case of a priest who had "groped" and abused little girls since the 1960s, but had been transferred from one parish to the next for decades. It was only in 2010 that they "had the courage" to remove him from pastoral care.

Over half of those affected are female

As a special feature, the reporters mention that more than 51 per cent of those affected were female and only 18 per cent could be clearly assigned to the male gender. In contrast, the number of males affected far outweighed females in investigations in German dioceses, for example. After the press conference, which lasted around 90 minutes, Bishop Ivo Muser and Vicar General Eugen Runggaldier received the two volumes of around 600 pages each in German and Italian, the predominant languages in the South Tyrolean diocese.

In a brief statement, Muser then expressed his shame at the reported cases of abuse and the way the Church had dealt with them. He said that he had learnt a lot about the destructive power of abuse from talking to those affected. The diocese wants to continue on the path it has now taken. The church must increasingly become a safe space for children, young people and other people "who particularly need our attention, our sensitivity and our respect", said the bishop. He announced a press conference for Friday after he had read the report. (KNA)