More than 600 abuse cases recorded in Catholic Church in Italy

ROME: The Italian Catholic Church has collected 613 files on abuse cases over the past two decades, the secretary general of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) said in Rome on Thursday.

The cases have been transferred to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Giuseppe Baturi, explained. These were reports by victims or files on alleged perpetrators with multiple victims, which is why 613 does not reflect the number of people abused, Baturi explained. Included, he said, are cases that have already been archived. Baturi made the statements at a press conference in which the CEI presented a report on the protection of minors in the Church.

THIS study, which covers 2020 and 2021, shows that in those years 89 alleged victims came forward, reporting such things as sexual harassment, sexual intercourse or inappropriate behaviour within the church.