The dark side of the South Tyrolean Church has been brought to light by an unprecedented investigation, commissioned by the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone. The investigation talks about 67 cases of sexual abuse of minors, with 59 confirmed victims and 29 priests involved, in a time span ranging from 1964 to 2023. A reality made of silence and destroyed lives.
«Each case is one case too many», declared Bishop Ivo Muser, openly acknowledging the faults of a system which, until 2010, systematically ignored the victims to protect the institution.
The Diocese has entrusted the investigation to the German law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastlknown for his work on ecclesiastical abuse in the German-speaking area. The report, 610 pages long, analyzed around 1,000 personal files of priests and highlighted profoundly incorrect management: known but covered up and religious abuses transferred from parish to parish. A culture that deliberately ignored the pain of the victims.
According to the lawyer Ulrich Wastl, who illustrated the results, “until 2010 the system, even in Alto Adige, was that of not seeing the victims and ignoring them”. The report reveals that 51% of the victims were girls and boys, an unusual figure compared to similar contexts in Germany and Austria, where male victims prevail. The age group most affected is between 8 and 14 yearswhile many priests involved were between 28 and 35 years old.
“All the numbers we indicate are a minimal part of what really happened,” underlined the lawyer Nata Gladstein. «The submerged phenomenon is much broader and is difficult to quantify».
Among the cases reported, stories stand out that highlight the seriousness and systematic nature of the omissions. “Case number 5” concerns a priest who, despite decades of complaints of abuse of girls, was simply transferred from one parish to another. This cycle of transfers lasted for almost 50 yearsuntil 2010.
Even more disturbing is “case number 15”, where a priest insisted on celebrating the funeral of a young man who had taken his own life. Investigations later revealed that that very priest was suspected of having abused the boy, pushing him to the extreme.
The “culture of error”
The report highlights how until 2010 a “culture of error” prevailed in the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone, where admitting failures was inconceivable. This attitude has led to ignoring or belittling reports and protecting perpetrators, instead of providing support to victims.
“The victims come first,” declared Bishop Muser. «We need a change of mentality, a new culture of closeness. This is not a point of arrival but a first step.”
Among the recommendations expressed in the report is the need to give greater space to women in ecclesiastical leadership roles. “It is women who understand the issue of sexual abuse much better than their male counterparts often demonstrate,” the document reads.
Partial justice and open wounds
Of the 67 cases analyzed, only seven led to criminal proceedings, and three to conviction. In many incidents, the crimes were time-barred, leaving the victims without justice. This is the case of “number 16”, in which a priest, accused of multiple abuses, was acquitted at first instance, convicted on appeal, and finally acquitted by the Supreme Court due to the statute of limitations. Despite this, the victim was awarded compensation exceeding one million euros, a sign of civil liability belatedly admitted.
Source: Vanity Fair

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