Almost 4,400 people have been allegedly victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests since 2020 in Italy, according to a victims’ group, which renewed pressure on the country’s bishops to take decisive action against the long-running scandal within the Church on Friday.
Rete l’Abuso, Italy’s largest network representing survivors of church abuse, said its unofficial estimate was compiled from victims’ testimonies, court documents, and media reports. Francesco Zanardi, the group’s founder, shared the findings, noting the data reflects only cases that have come to light publicly.
However, the association did not specify the exact time periods when the alleged abuses occurred. The Italian Bishops Conference (CEI)- recently criticised by the Vatican’s child protection commission- declined to comment on the report, according to a spokesperson.
Majority of cases involve priests
While the global Catholic Church has grappled for decades with widespread revelations of child sexual abuse and institutional cover-ups, church authorities have often been accused of a lack of transparency in Italy.
New Pope Leo, who met survivors of clerical abuse for the first time this week, has urged new bishops not to conceal misconduct. His predecessor, the late Pope Francis, made confronting sexual abuse a central goal of his 12-year papacy, though progress has been uneven.
An unusually blunt report from the Vatican’s child protection commission on 16 October revealed only 81 out of 226 Italian dioceses responded to a questionnaire about safeguarding measures, reflecting deep reluctance to engage with oversight efforts.
Rete l’Abuso said it had identified 1,250 potential abuse incidents, many involving multiple victims. Of these, 1,106 cases allegedly implicated priests, while others involved nuns, religion teachers, volunteers, educators, and scout leaders.
According to the group, the cases involved 4,625 survivors, including 4,395 abused by priests. The report added 4,451 of the survivors were under 18, and 4,108 were male. The victims also included 5 nuns, 156 vulnerable adults, and 11 individuals with disabilities.
Among the 1,106 alleged predator priests, only 76 faced church disciplinary trials. Of those, 17 were temporarily suspended, 7 were reassigned to other parishes, and 18 were defrocked or chose to resign. 5 priests reportedly took their own lives.
