There are 67 confirmed cases of sexual abuse in the South Tyrolean church between 1963 and 2023 , involving 24 priests and 59 victims. The average age of the priests is between 28 and 35, while that of the victims is between 8 and 14 , just over 50% female.

These are the main data of the report on abuse in the South Tyrolean church, prepared by the law firm Westpfahl-Spilker-Wastl of Munich, on behalf of the Diocese of Bolzano and Bressanone. The report, part of the three-year project "The courage to look", was presented at a press conference, in the presence of Bishop Ivo Muser.

The cases have all been anonymized to protect the victims, and “case number 5” stands out. It concerns a priest who committed a first abuse and was transferred, then another warning and new transfer, and so on for about 50 years . Only in 2010 was he excluded from pastoral activity.

In relation to this case, lawyer Ulrich Wastl said that in this case " there is no culture of error and this, in the case of abuse, is the beginning of the end ." He also made a reference to the presumption of innocence, noting that this principle does not exclude the possibility of preventive measures and provisions.

"Case number 15" is instead dedicated to a priest who, despite the protests of the faithful, celebrated the funeral of a suicide victim, who had been his alleged victim of abuse .

(Online Union)