"Before any other consideration, my testimony as a faithful practicing Catholic speaks volumes, my honest and respectful life with civil and religious institutions, and my moral integrity in exercising a role that has always been unquestionably on the side of children." This is what the Regional Guarantor for Children and Adolescents, Carla Puligheddu , said in a statement released by the bishops of Sardinia expressing "dismay and regret" over some of Puligheddu's statements regarding the alleged abuse of minors by members of the clergy.

The Guarantor had spoken to the regional council about 37 confirmed cases between 2020 and 2025, stating (citing data from a report by the Permanent Observatory on Abuse) that proceedings had only been initiated for two incidents.

In this regard, the bishops expressed dismay "not for the gravity of the issue, which concerns society as a whole, and which sees the Church - in Sardinia, in Italy and throughout the world - countering the phenomenon through awareness-raising and training, but for the superficiality and casualness with which the Guarantor itself has presented numbers and data with no real foundation , as well as for the gratuitousness of references and accusations of criminal relevance that the bishops reject with determination and indignation."

For the Sardinian Episcopal Conference, this is "unfounded news" and "it is surprising that it is being presented publicly, exposing an institution of the Regional Council to a communication without any credible data."

Now comes the counter-response from the Guarantor , reiterating the report's figures and pointing the finger at the "silence" and statements aimed at "distancing itself from the position of the Guarantor Authority, which has been operating within the Regional Council for three years, as if it were a foreign body, a disruptive element that must be eliminated as quickly as possible."

"My position," Puligheddu concludes, "is clear and transparent, and I won't back down one iota . Quite the opposite. I'm not aware of the Sardinian Episcopal Conference having initiated legal action to challenge the data from the Permanent Observatory on Abuse , but I hope it does so as soon as possible. The courts will have the opportunity to investigate the allegations, and at the same time, the defamation currently leveled against the only person who acts to protect children, not adults."

(Unioneonline)

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