Entertainment
Almost 4,400 people abused by priests in Italy, alleges victims’ group
Nearly 4,400 people have been abused by Catholic priests in Italy in cases reported since 2020, a victims’ group alleged on Friday, renewing pressure on bishops to confront a crisis that has long plagued the world’s largest Christian faith.
The unofficial tally by Rete l’Abuso, Italy’s largest church abuse victims’ group, is based on victims’ accounts, judicial sources and cases reported by the media, the founder of the association, Francesco Zanard,i said.
Rete l’Abuso did not say how far back the alleged abuse cases occurred.
The Italian Bishops Conference (CEI), which was criticised by the Vatican’s child protection commission last week, had no comment on the findings, a spokesperson said.
Most allegations concern abuse by priests
The global Catholic Church has been shaken for decades by scandals involving paedophile priests and the cover-up of their crimes, but local church leaders in Italy have been less forthcoming in confronting the issue.
New Pope Leo, who met survivors of sexual abuse by clergy for the first time this week, has told the Church’s newest bishops not to hide misconduct allegations. His predecessor, the late Pope Francis, made addressing the issue a priority of his 12-year papacy, but with mixed results.
In an unusually critical report on the issue published on October 16, the Vatican’s child protection commission said only 81 of Italy’s 226 dioceses responded to a questionnaire about safeguarding practices it had drafted.
Rete l’Abuso said it had documented 1,250 suspected cases of abuse — some with multiple victims — including 1,106 allegedly committed by priests, with the rest attributed to nuns, religion teachers, lay volunteers, educators and scout members.
Its report contained cases related to 4,625 victims — or survivors, as the association calls them — including 4,395 abused by priests.
The report said 4,451 of the survivors were under 18, and an almost equally large number — 4,108 — were male, Rete l’Abuso said, adding that five nuns, 156 vulnerable adults and 11 people with disabilities were also among the victims.
According to the association, out of the 1,106 suspected predator priests, only 76 were subjected to church trials, with 17 temporarily suspended, seven moved to other parishes and 18 were defrocked or resigned from the priesthood. Five died by suicide, it added.
Kim Kardashian is just weeks away from becoming a qualified attorney!
The reality TV star talked about her future career plans during her appearance on BBC’s The Graham Norton Show.
Kim said, “I have a few projects coming up — I film my first movie in January, and we are hoping for a season 2 of All’s Fair.”
Adding, “I always want to be growing, curious and evolving, and I want to see wherever that takes me.”
Moreover, the SKIMS founder went on to reveal that results of her exams are coming soon, saying, “I will be qualified in two weeks. I hope to practice law.”
“Maybe in 10 years, I think I’ll give up being Kim K and be a trial lawyer. That’s what I really want,” she hinted at her future plans.
Kim Kardashian, mother of four kids, marks one of her first major acting role in the upcoming legal drama All’s Fair.
When Graham asked Kim how it was to run a business and work on the series, she said, “I’ve learned you can.”
“It was mentally challenging having to do it all, but I loved it,” The Kardashians star added.
A TikTok video circulating online, featuring a news broadcast, claims to show Punjab’s Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announcing a complete lockdown on the weekends due to rising smog in Lahore and Multan.
The claim is false. The video is not recent, and no such decision has been made by the Punjab government as of October 24.
Claim
“There will be a complete lockdown in Lahore and Multan next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, says Marriyum Aurangzeb,” read an Urdu-language text overlaid on a video posted on TikTok on October 19.
The video includes a graphic from a private news channel with the text: “All types of construction will be banned as well, said Marriyum Aurangzeb.”
At the time of writing, the post had been viewed over 453,000 times, shared more than 1,160 times, and liked over 9,300 times.
A similar claim was also shared on the same platform here.
Fact
The video circulating online is from last year, and the Punjab government has not recently announced a lockdown in Lahore or Multan due to poor air quality.
Geo Fact Check traced the viral video to a press conference by Minister Aurangzeb, aired on November 15, 2024, when she announced a three-day lockdown in Lahore and Multan due to the intense smog.
Furthermore, Punjab Information Minister Azma Zahid Bokhari told Geo Fact Check over the phone: “There is absolutely no possibility of any lockdown and no decision has been made about it [as yet].”
Verdict: The lockdown announcement from November 2024 has been falsely shared as a recent lockdown announcement in Lahore and Multan.
Follow @GeoFactCheck on X and @geo_factcheck on Instagram. To report corrections, contact us at [email protected].
Grateful Ducks: Oregon’s Grateful Dead uniforms top best Week 9 threads in college football
Double-layer electrode design powers next-gen silicon-based batteries for faster charging and longer range EVs
Kim Kardashian hints at becoming a full-time attorney
-
Tech1 week agoWhy the F5 Hack Created an ‘Imminent Threat’ for Thousands of Networks
-
Tech5 days agoHow to Protect Yourself Against Getting Locked Out of Your Cloud Accounts
-
Business1 week agoBaroness Mone-linked PPE firm misses deadline to pay £122m
-
Sports6 days agoPCB confirms Tri-nation T20 series to go ahead despite Afghanistan’s withdrawal – SUCH TV
-
Sports1 week agoU.S. Soccer recommends extending NCAA season
-
Tech6 days agoI Tested Over 40 Heat Protectant Sprays to Find the Best of the Best
-
Tech5 days agoThe DeltaForce 65 Brings Das Keyboard Into the Modern Keyboard Era—for Better or Worse
-
Tech6 days agoUS court bars NSO Group from installing spyware on WhatsApp