Vatican City, June 8 - Italy’s bishops on Tuesday said they were “proud” of the country’s priests and claimed they were the victims of “generic accusations” following worldwide paedophilia scandals.
“You are harried by generic accusations which have produced bitterness and pain and cast suspicion on everyone,” said a message from the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI).
“We wish to express our cordial esteem and sympathy…above all, a word of gratitude,” said the CEI message, released to mark the final days of Pope Benedict XVI’s ‘Year of the Priest’.
The CEI message came ten days after its chief, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, admitted there was a “possibility” that some of the 100 canon law abuse trials in Italy over the last decade may have involved cover-ups by bishops.
However, he suggested that Italian Church officials may have sometimes been more inclined to protect the Church rather than reporting cases to the police.
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