Italian bishops’ conference: 100 cases of priest sex abuse in Italy over 10 years

Bishop: 100 cases in 10 yrs for Italy priest abuse

ROME — An Italian bishop says there have been about 100 cases of clerical sex abuse over the past 10 years in Italy that warranted church trials or other canonical procedures.

The ANSA and Apcom news agencies say Monsignor Mariano Crociata, the No. 2 official in the Italian bishops’ conference, gave the estimate during a news conference on the sidelines of the bishops’ general assembly.

He declined to say how many of the cases resulted in condemnation of the priest. And he insisted that Italian law doesn’t require bishops to report suspected abuse to police. Some defense lawyers say bishops are required to report since they are public officials.

Vatican norms say bishops should follow civil laws in reporting abuse to law enforcement.