"The public has the right to know about these shocking cases," writes Hortobagyi in an article for the portals "Telex" and "Szemlelek" on Sunday. The religious calls for a cultural change in the church: it must recognise the public as a partner.
"The public is not our enemy, but an important ally in the Enlightenment. Even if the media sometimes overemphasise the negative aspects, we must not return to a culture of concealment."
The Benedictine monk is convinced that there is an opportunity for the church in a transparent reappraisal: "The loss of trust and the restoration of credibility can only be healed through open, clear communication and sincere apologies."
He believes that critics who warned of a loss of trust through openness have now been refuted: "None of our educational projects have led to parents deregistering their children from our schools. On the contrary: they have recognised our commitment to honesty and solutions."
Abuse "a huge can of worms"
The archabbot also expressed self-criticism: it was only after church abuse scandals in other countries came to light that he realised "that this problem area is also a huge can of worms in the Hungarian church".
There is a certain similarity between the handling of child abuse cases and the cases of priests who once collaborated with the communist regime: both sins have as their root "an attachment to authority and a love of power instead of a love of evangelical service", he said.
In the process of coming to terms with the past, responsibilities must be recognised: "The perpetrator who abuses his ecclesiastical position, the institution that ignores the warning signs and the church leadership that often does not act decisively enough are all responsible," said Hortobagyi.
He himself also had no experience of this for a long time and only experienced a "turning point" in his attitude through personal encounters with those affected by abuse.
"It wasn't until 2014, when I spoke to victims for the first time, that I realised how important it is to listen empathetically," says the archabbot.
In the early 2000s, a Benedictine monk assaulted pupils at Pannonhalma Abbey.
After these incidents became known in 2015, the then Archabbot Asztrik Varszegi publicly apologised to those affected.
The investigation has continued since 2018 under the leadership of Hortobagyi.
The Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma has accepted its responsibility and developed a comprehensive child protection protocol to ensure "that such incidents are not repeated", writes the archabbot.
Since 2016, the abbey has had a child protection group that implements preventative measures in all of the monastery's facilities.
There have been hearings and those affected have been asked to report the events in court following criminal charges, while many former pupils have also been supported with therapy and spiritual counselling.
Pannonhalma continues to work on a transparent and preventative culture in order to offer justice and safety to those affected as well as the community.