As Italy's bishops release latest abuse figures, survivor meets with Vatican commission

(OSV News) -- As the Italian bishops' conference released its latest figures of abuse victims over the last five years, one survivor who recently met with the Vatican's abuse commission is calling for concrete action against a bishop accused of covering up his abuse -- showing that the accountability battle is, for survivors, far from over.

In a telephone interview with OSV News May 23, Antonio Messina said he hoped to also meet with Pope Leo XIV and "ensure that my story, which I already reported to Pope Francis and (several) dicasteries, can actually be pursued and not ignored."

"I hoped that my willingness to meet -- because no one can give me back what was taken from me -- will be useful both to the church and to victims who have suffered, to prevent others from suffering and that those who have suffered have the tools to move forward with a complaint," Messina said.

The Italian bishops' conference, known by its Italian acronym CEI, released the findings of its recent survey on abuse on May 28 in Rome. According to the CEI, 184 of 194 Italian dioceses took part in the survey.

The report stated that between 2023 and 2024, there were "115 victims of abuse, 64 males and 51 females," and that during the same period, "there were 69 cases of alleged abuse, 27 of which occurred in parishes. The alleged perpetrators of abuse, totaling 67, are primarily clergy," the report stated.

The number of victims officially recognized by the CEI, combined with their past reports, totals 258 over the past five years.

"The essence of this work is not to protect ourselves, but to express love for man and for every person," Archbishop Giuseppe Baturi of Cagliari and secretary general of the CEI said.

Francesco Zanardi, a survivor and founder of the "Rete L'Abuso" advocacy group, told OSV News May 29 that viewing abuses over the past five years does not paint an accurate picture of the numerous cases of abuse in the country.

"It's difficult to understand these CEI reports because they have never looked at cases dating back to 2000. They said they would do it, but they didn't," he said. "It's difficult to compare because we don't know who the priests are or where the areas are."

Messina's case is among the many in Italy that the survivors advocacy group has been putting in the spotlight as an example of the difficulties victims face in obtaining justice from the Catholic Church.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors confirmed the meeting between Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, the commission's secretary, and Messina in a statement to OSV News May 28, emphasizing the importance of respecting the confidentiality of the meeting.

"The contents of the sharing session remain confidential," the commission said. "Respect for the important and private nature of what is entrusted to us in these listening sessions is part of the safe and standard practice of all of our meetings with people who reach out to us."

While Messina wished to respect the privacy of the meeting, he told OSV News that at the start of the meeting, he recounted the abuse he endured at the hands of Father Giuseppe Rugolo.

Father Rugolo was convicted in March 2024 on charges of aggravated sexual assault against Messina and another unnamed victim. The priest, who was a seminarian at the time of the abuse, was sentenced to more than four years in prison and barred from teaching and holding public office and is currently appealing the verdict.

The trial against Father Rugolo was notable for the public release of recordings made by the accused priest during private conversations with Italian Bishop Rosario Gisana of Piazza Armerina, in which the bishop admitted to covering up the abuse.

The court's ruling stated that Bishop Gisana, who continues to lead the Diocese of Piazza Armerina, was "well aware for many years of the reports made concerning the abuse suffered by" Messina. Despite the audio recording, the Italian bishop denied covering up the abuse.

Local media reported that the Vatican sent an apostolic visitor to the Diocese of Piazza Armerina Jan. 15-18. Neither the diocese nor the Vatican has issued a statement confirming the visitation.

In January, Bishop Gisana and the judicial vicar of the diocese, Msgr. Vincenzo Murgano, were indicted by a southern Italian court for perjury-related statements made at Father Rugolo's trial.

Bishop Gisana's trial was set to begin May 26. However, the trial was delayed after the judge, who had also handed down the guilty verdict against Father Rugolo, recused herself from the proceedings. The next hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 29.

Messina had sent letters and two CDs containing chat messages by Father Rugolo, as well as the recordings of Bishop Gisana, to Pope Francis, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for the Clergy and the Dicastery for Bishops, which at the time was led by then-Cardinal Robert Prevost, now-Pope Leo XIV.

The survivor told OSV News that there were talks for a possible meeting with Pope Francis in January. However, the proposed meeting never took place after the pope was hospitalized. Not long after his release from Rome's Gemelli Hospital, Pope Francis died April 21.

Messina said he hopes his meeting with the commission will not only lead to a meeting with the newly elected pope, but would also bring greater awareness to the retaliatory tactics victims of clergy sexual abuse suffer, particularly from those within the church.

In the Diocese of Piazza Armerina, members of religious confraternities, who oversee many of the diocesan religious activities, such as public processions, have taken to social media to target Messina.

"The confraternities are trying to make me suffer real retaliation," Messina said. "I don't even feel safe, honestly."

In one screenshot shared with OSV News, a person commenting on an interview Messina posted regarding his case wrote: "He (Messina) is still going. Enough! The justice system is still investigating. I think all you want is money and that's it."

"I don't understand this gentleman's whole charade," one person wrote. "Victimhood has become an increasingly popular stage to attract attention," another wrote.

"The situation is now becoming unsustainable," Messina told OSV News. "We've gone back to a situation in which I am identified as being responsible for people leaving the church and so forth."

Messina said that despite the trying circumstances and retaliation, he has received support from his parish priest and parish members.

"Thankfully, I have the strength to move forward, but another person in my place, I think, would have perhaps also given up, perhaps would have gotten tired, or would have made other choices," he said.