VATICAN CITY (VATICAN CITY)
Catholic Vote [Madison, WI]
May 6, 2025
By CV News Feed
On May 5, as the cardinals were gathering in the General Congregation, a voice against abuse rose from the very heart of the Church: that of Father Marco Contini, asking the cardinals to look for a pope that will end sexual abuse in the Church.
Also known as “Father Paolo,” Fr. Contini has been a priest for 25 years, is pastor of three communities, and is a university theology lecturer. In a letter to the cardinals, he disclosed having been a victim of sexual abuse as a teenager in the seminary.
The letter was heavily covered by the Italian media but shared mostly in excerpts and partial quotes. CatholicVote approached Fr. Contini, asking him for the full version of the letter and what motivated him to write it.
“I actually had to go to Rome for some interviews on this topic and, before leaving, I had an idea: ‘Why not leave a message for some cardinals I might meet on the street?’” the priest told CatholicVote.
He then wrote the letter, printed some 50 copies, and headed to Rome.
“The rest happened a bit by chance! I saw two cardinals in the courtyard of their residence, and one of them agreed to let me in. I started sharing my experience and the painful journey of my denunciation [of abuse]. While I was speaking, other cardinals arrived and, curious, stopped to listen to me. They all took the letter and one of them said to me: ‘Stand here and give the letter to all the others who will pass by soon.’ So I did and from there the news took off,” Fr. Contini said.
Evaluating the unexpected coverage of his letter, Fr. Contini told CatholicVote: “I am happy with the outcome, not for me, but rather for the noise I want to make on such a delicate topic. I would like people to understand that reporting is a duty, but hiding is a crime equal to (if not more serious) than that of the pedophile who rapes.”
“Help me make a noise for all those little victims who can’t scream yet,” he told CatholicVote
Below is Fr. Contini’s full letter to the cardinals preparing to start the conclave.
Your Eminence,
I allow myself to report below some statements written by a priest, 65 years old, accused of sexual abuse of various seminarians, myself included. This priest confesses his crime and writes:
“Little by little, my affection turned into an overwhelming passion, into a sick love of which I was fully aware.”
“I was absolutely conscious of the harm I was doing to you, but I could not stop because I could not do without you.”
“The demon that assailed me made me spend hours in tears, asking the Lord to let me die for the evil I was doing to you and to the other boys.”
“I was well aware of my problems and did everything in the open, but no one [among the superiors], even though they saw, took any action.”
“I even thought of withdrawing, but when I am at the altar I forget everything and live my moment of grace… I would have left the priesthood, but those who followed me told me not to do it and told me what to do.”
Your Eminence, these statements are all on record in a trial. I confess to you that, after having suffered those abuses myself, I am certainly not scandalized by the words of a pedophile; rather, I am devastated to know that such an explicit confession has passed through the hands of at least three bishops and a judge, and none of them sought to give a serious and coherent response in line with the Magisterium of the Church and the teachings of our late Benedict XVI and Francis! For years, many within the Church tried to cover up the facts, to defend the pedophile, making me out to be dishonest or a fantasist. I had to fight with all my strength to have a fair trial, but even today I must fight against the resistance of unjustifiable defenders of the pedophile.
Mine is not a denunciation against the Church, but within the Church and for the Church! I am not an enemy of the Church, since I am a priest with 25 years of ministry, pastor of three important communities, and a lecturer at a theological university. Nor is mine a path aimed at financial gain, since from the beginning I declared that I renounced any compensation. Nor is it a sordid revenge, since before God I forgave many years ago the one who abused me when I was still a child. My complaint is aimed at preventing other children from falling into the hands of this “predator,” but at the same time it is meant to give a possibility of redemption and recovery even to the same priest-pedophile.
Your Eminence, the facts are certain, to the point that an emeritus archbishop, Monsignor Atzei, at the time of the events provincial superior of the religious order where I attended the minor seminary, gave testimony stating that he saw with his own eyes the pedophile in action, even though he later did not have the courage and strength necessary to intervene as he should have. This testimony was opposed in every way, and until the last moment they tried to prevent the hearing of this high prelate. My case ended up in the hands of a judge who was a personal friend of the pedophile, a judge who went around saying he would acquit the confessed perpetrator and then sue me, making my accusations out to be slander. The Lord willed that this dishonest judge made a sensational mistake: He wrote threatening messages to my lawyer. Faced with these facts, I managed to have the judge removed. But to show you the “power” of some of these people: A few weeks after being relieved of all duties at the Sardinian Regional Court, the same dishonest former judge was promoted to vicar general in his diocese!
Your Eminence, today the trial is still ongoing, but we have bishops who refuse to be heard by the ecclesiastical court, convents that block access to court officials, witnesses and victims who are approached by priests to dissuade them from testifying. The precautionary measures imposed on the pedophile have been officially violated, but despite everything, the court opposes any verification of the facts and responsibilities! In short, on one side there is a healthy Church that tries to truly fight against pedophilia, but on the other side there is a church (in this case, allow me the use of the lowercase!) that is still hostile to the truth and thinks it can cover up what can no longer be hidden.
Today I kneel before you and your brother Cardinals and I implore you: DO NOT FORGET US VICTIMS! Do not accept half measures, but let yours be a SINGLE and UNITED voice against pedophilia. Obviously, I do not know whom you will choose as the next Pontiff, but whoever it may be, I beg you, demand rigor in the trials, certainty in the punishments, and real listening to the victims.
Your Eminence, I am only a small grain of sand who, however tiny, has tried to block the gears of a machine aimed at hiding and concealing the truth. But now all this is no longer enough, and I am here to beg for your concrete help. The strength of your word is fundamental in the fight against the scourge of pedophilia and would help everyone to be freer and more honest in the difficult but necessary path of Truth!
Your Most Reverend Eminence, imploring your apostolic blessing, I thank you for listening to me and I will be forever grateful to you, whatever you may decide to do.
In faith,
Your humble priest
Sunday, May 4, 2025
“Peter, do you love me?”