Pope Leo XIV calls for a "culture of prevention" amid criticism of handling of sexual abuse

Pope Leo XIV has called on the Catholic Church to develop a "culture of prevention" against sexual abuse of minors, amid persistent criticism of the institution's insufficient response to such cases, AFP reports. "I want to recommend special attention to the youngest and most vulnerable, so that a culture of prevention of all forms of abuse can develop," the Pontiff said in a speech in Assisi to the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI). The American pontiff thanked the bishops for their efforts so far and encouraged them "to continue their commitment to the protection of minors and vulnerable adults." The Pope's appeal comes after the Vatican's Commission for the Protection of Minors accused the Italian Church in October of "considerable cultural resistance" in the fight against abuse. However, in his speech, Pope Leo XIV did not explicitly mention the report. Unlike other countries where national inquiries into abuse by clergy have been carried out, Italy, a predominantly Catholic society, has not launched such an investigation, despite repeated scandals.

• Victims' associations: "Nothing has changed"

The Pope's statements were met with indignation by the main victims' associations. The organization Rete l'Abuso, which has been campaigning for years for the systematic investigation of paedophilia cases, declared itself "furious" after the speech. "In reality, in Italy there is nothing to welcome, but they welcome it," criticized the organization's president, Francesco Zanardi, for AFP. In a report published in October, Rete l'Abuso estimated that 1,106 priests had committed sexual abuse and that at least 4,400 victims had been identified since 2000. The organization accuses the Italian Church of maintaining the same decades-old practice: moving suspected priests to other dioceses. "Everything works exactly like 30 years ago. The only difference is that before they acted in secret, but now they do it openly and with everyone's knowledge,” says Zanardi. The associations also complain about the lack of Italian legislation that would oblige the Church to investigate and report cases of abuse, which allows an opaque and uncontrolled system to be maintained. "No law obliges the Church to act,” emphasizes Zanardi, adding that victims remain without real protection. In recent months, Pope Leo XIV has taken several steps towards greater openness towards victims. On November 8, he met with 15 people abused by clergy in Belgium, and in October he received an audience for the first time with a victims' association. However, Italian organizations say that symbolic gestures are not enough and are demanding concrete measures: independent investigations, transparency, mandatory reporting and a real zero-tolerance policy, applied without exceptions.