Over 800 abuse cases reported so far in Austria – Church commission

Over 800 cases of abuse in Catholic institutions in Austria have been reported so far, a commission tasked with investigating abuse cases announced yesterday.

A total 837 abuse victims approached the commission, which was set up by the Austrian Catholic Church last year after it was hit by a wave of abuse revelations, commission head Waltraud Klasnic told a press conference.

Three quarters of the victims were male, with the most cases – about 20 per cent – reported in northern Upper Austria province, followed by Vienna and western Tyrol, according to a commission report summarising its first-year findings.

Compensation had meanwhile been paid to 192 abuse victims, it said.

In total, “over 200 cases have been settled, in the sense that we’ve resolved with the victim what he or she wants, whether it’s an apology, therapy or financial support,” Ms Klasnic, a former conservative governor of southern Styria, told ORF 2 television.

She added, however, that it would take several more years to process the remaining cases.

In cases concerning five Catholic institutions, the files were forwarded on to prosecutors, the commission meanwhile noted.

The group was set up in late March 2010 by Vienna’s archbishop, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, following an avalanche of allegations of sexual abuse by clergy members, but has an independent mandate to investigate claims.

The Austrian Church also announced last June that it would create a compensation fund for abuse victims.