
Lawyer criticises and praises Italy's planned abuse study
Bolzano - Ulrich Wastl has investigated cases of abuse in the (arch)dioceses of Munich and Freising as well as Bolzano-Bressanone. He has both praise and criticism for the approach of the planned all-Italian study – and a fundamental tip for everyone.
Published on 04.02.2025 at 11:05 –In the opinion of Munich lawyer Ulrich Wastl, the planned abuse study by the Italian Bishops' Conference covers too short a period of time. In his experience, the years 2001 to 2021 are too short for a real reappraisal and clarification, he told the South Tyrolean portal Salto.bz (Monday). However, he did not know any details about the methodological approaches and objectives of the study. - With the law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl, the lawyer had, among other things, prepared the abuse studies of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising in 2020 and the South Tyrolean diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone a fortnight ago.
Conversely, however, it makes sense that Italy's bishops - unlike in Germany - are planning an overall study, as this would establish uniform standards for dealing with the issue across the country. However, with over 200 dioceses, this would be a mammoth task. Instead, Wastl suggested that larger dioceses join forces and implement pilot studies in their area. "That way, you can look from the larger to the smaller."
Wastl also called for more women to be involved in dealing with sexualised violence in the church. In Germany and, above all, in South Tyrol, it has been found "that women are more committed and very empathetic to the issue of sexual abuse". In South Tyrol, almost without exception, women have come forward as witnesses. "They have understood the issue and are fighting to prevent it from happening again." (KNA)
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