“Every two years some 6000 priests suffer various forms of violence”: that’s the conclusion of a research project conducted by the University of London in England. Entitled “Violence against Professionals in the Community”, the survey especially targeted priests of the various Christian confessions, in particular Catholics and Lutherans. Its findings have been published in the latest number of the English journal “The Pastoral Review” ( www.thepastoralreview.org http://www.thepastoralreview.org ). Nick Tolson, member of the Royal Air Force, reports on the experience of the years in which he was in charge of security for some churches in London. “The first attempts to obtain information on violence against the clergy proved fruitless. Therefore I wrote to all the police stations and the result was that over the last 12 months over 500 attacks against the clergy have been registered”. “On the other hand – continues Tolson – the British Crime Survey has ascertained that only 22% of crimes are denounced”. As for the causes of such attacks, the University of London diagnoses the loss of traditional faith and the growth of anti-social behaviour.
