The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has decided not to lift the statute of limitations in the case of the Italian priest Valentino Salvoldi, from the diocese of Bergamo, accused by at least 21 people of sexual abuse conduct committed between the 1990s and the early 2000s. The decision, confirmed in 2025, also closes the canonical procedure after the Udine Prosecutor’s Office archived the criminal case in September 2024 due to the statute of limitations on the offenses, as reported by the portal of the Italian association Rete L’Abuso.
There will be no trial. Neither civil nor ecclesiastical.
Valentino Salvoldi was not an unknown priest or tied to a specific parish. Ordained in 1970, he developed much of his ministry outside the territorial scope of the diocese of Bergamo, alternating stays in Italy and in various African countries as a fidei donum missionary. His activity focused on preaching, training, and organizing youth gatherings.
He presented himself as a professor of philosophy and moral theology and as a collaborator in training initiatives linked to the Church. He published numerous books on spiritual and moral outreach with various Catholic publishers, many of them centered on love, affection, and religious experience. In his own biographical presentation, he claimed to be at the service of the Holy See in tasks of clergy formation in young Churches, although without specifying exactly what that role consisted of.
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