Rete l\u2019Abuso report states nuns, adults and people with disabilities were also among victims
\n Rome
\nNearly 4,400 people have been abused by Catholic priests in Italy in cases reported since 2020, a victims\u2019 group alleged on Friday, renewing pressure on bishops to confront a crisis that has long plagued the world\u2019s largest Christian faith.
\nThe unofficial tally by Rete l\u2019Abuso, Italy\u2019s largest church abuse victims\u2019 group, is based on victims\u2019 accounts, judicial sources and cases reported by the media, the founder of the association, Francesco Zanard,i said.
\nRete l\u2019Abuso did not say how far back the alleged abuse cases occurred.
\nThe Italian Bishops Conference (CEI), which was criticised by the Vatican\u2019s child protection commission last week, had no comment on the findings, a spokesperson said.
\nMost allegations concern abuse by priests
\nThe global Catholic Church has been shaken for decades by scandals involving paedophile priests and the cover-up of their crimes, but local church leaders in Italy have been less forthcoming in confronting the issue.
\nNew Pope Leo, who met survivors of sexual abuse by clergy for the first time this week, has told the Church\u2019s newest bishops not to hide misconduct allegations. His predecessor, the late Pope Francis, made addressing the issue a priority of his 12-year papacy, but with mixed results.
\nIn an unusually critical report on the issue published on October 16, the Vatican\u2019s child protection commission said only 81 of Italy\u2019s 226 dioceses responded to a questionnaire about safeguarding practices it had drafted.
\nRete l\u2019Abuso said it had documented 1,250 suspected cases of abuse \u2014 some with multiple victims \u2014 including 1,106 allegedly committed by priests, with the rest attributed to nuns, religion teachers, lay volunteers, educators and scout members.
\nIts report contained cases related to 4,625 victims \u2014 or survivors, as the association calls them \u2014 including 4,395 abused by priests.
\nThe report said 4,451 of the survivors were under 18, and an almost equally large number \u2014 4,108 \u2014 were male, Rete l\u2019Abuso said, adding that five nuns, 156 vulnerable adults and 11 people with disabilities were also among the victims.
\nAccording to the association, out of the 1,106 suspected predator priests, only 76 were subjected to church trials, with 17 temporarily suspended, seven moved to other parishes and 18 were defrocked or resigned from the priesthood. Five died by suicide, it added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rete l\u2019Abuso report states nuns, adults and people with disabilities were also among victims Rome Nearly 4,400 people have been abused by Catholic priests in Italy in cases reported since 2020, a victims\u2019 group alleged on Friday, renewing pressure on bishops to confront a crisis that has long plagued the world\u2019s largest Christian faith. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":510717,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-510700","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n