By Philip Pullella

ROME, (Reuters) – Italy’s Catholic bishops have announced that Friday will be the day when they commission a report regarding clerical abuses in the last two years. Also, a separate analysis for 2000. These were disappointing news for victims who wanted a detailed investigation that went back decades.

On Friday morning, victims groups staged a protest at the Vatican Embassy to Italy. Activists carried signs with photos of people wearing bloody underwear.

After a week-long meeting, the bishops made a statement about a variety of issues. They also elected Cardinal Matteo Zuppi from Bologna to be their new president.

According to it, an unspecified academic centre will issue an independent report about abuse cases reported by Church officials in 2020-2021. The Church would conduct a separate analysis on data about abuse from 2000-2021. This would include collaboration with other research institutions.

Zuppi is considered a progressive. Zuppi told a press conference that the two year report would be available by November, but didn’t specify when it would begin.

Victims’ groups voiced frustration. These groups called for an investigation that goes back to least part of the previous century, similar to what was done in France and Germany.

Francesco Zanardi (51) is the head of Rete l’Abuso (“The Abuse Network”), which holds one of Italy’s largest digital archives of clerical sexual violence. He stated that many of his cases would be excluded if the analysis was started in 2000.

Zanardi suffered abuse from a northern Italian priest in 2000. Later, he was moved to another parish where he victimized other minors.

Zanardi declared that “the Church’s sensitivity to victims suffers falls apart because it includes an automatic cutoff.”

Ludovica Eugenio from ItalyChurchToo said, “Our fight will continue,” and was referring to a coalition made up of nine victims’ groups and advocates.

Zuppi claimed that analysis does not extend backwards because it is difficult to evaluate the past using today’s standards.

“There’s no will to cover anything up… We are not fleeing from any situation,” he stated.

Zanardi and other victims claim that there have been hundreds of instances in which Church officials failed to act, did not cover up or were too late to prevent abuses from happening again.

The global sexual abuse crisis has caused significant damage to the credibility of Roman Catholic Church and resulted in hundreds of millions in settlements. Some dioceses have even declared bankruptcy.