New report: Over 4,000 children among victims of priest abuse in Italy Since 2020

Nearly 4,400 people in Italy have been victims of abuse by Catholic priests in cases reported since 2020, Reuters cites new allegations from a victims’ rights group that has renewed pressure on the country’s bishops to address a scandal that continues to shake the Catholic Church.

The figures were compiled by Rete l’Abuso, Italy’s largest association representing survivors of church-related sexual abuse.

The group’s founder, Francesco Zanardi, said the tally was drawn from victims’ testimonies, judicial sources, and media reports. The organisation did not specify how far back the alleged abuse cases date.

The Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) declined to comment on the findings. The conference has faced renewed criticism after the Vatican’s child protection commission released a report last week, faulting it for failing to cooperate fully with requests for information.

The Catholic Church worldwide has been dogged for decades by revelations of sexual abuse committed by clergy and systematic efforts to conceal the crimes. In Italy, however, local church leaders have long been accused of resisting transparency and accountability.

Pope Leo, who earlier this week met with survivors of clerical abuse for the first time since his election, has urged bishops not to conceal allegations of misconduct. His predecessor, the late Pope Francis, made tackling clerical abuse a hallmark of his papacy over 12 years, though his results were often mixed.

In an unusually harsh assessment published on October 16, the Vatican’s child protection commission said that only 81 of Italy’s 226 dioceses had responded to a questionnaire on safeguarding practices.

According to Rete l’Abuso, the group has documented 1,250 suspected cases of abuse—some involving multiple victims—including 1,106 allegedly committed by priests. The remaining cases involved nuns, religion teachers, lay volunteers, educators, and members of scout organisations.

The report detailed cases involving 4,625 victims, of whom 4,395 were allegedly abused by priests. Among the survivors, 4,451 were minors at the time of the abuse, and 4,108 were male. The report also identified five nuns, 156 vulnerable adults, and 11 people with disabilities among the victims.

Out of the 1,106 priests accused of abuse, only 76 faced church trials, the report said. Seventeen were temporarily suspended, seven were reassigned to other parishes, and 18 were either defrocked or resigned from the priesthood. Five accused priests took their own lives.

The findings have reignited calls for the Italian Church to establish an independent inquiry into clerical abuse—something that victims’ advocates have demanded for years but which church officials have so far resisted.

By Tamilla Hasanova