At least 4,815 children are said to be victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Portugal. This is the result of a commission of inquiry that has been investigating abuse in the country since 1950.
A special commission of inquiry in Portugal began investigating abuses in the church over a year ago. At that time, at least 512 allegations of harassment were reported to the committee.
Only 25 of these complaints are time-barred and will go to the prosecutor. “We respect those who are victims of abuse and those who dare to break the silence,” said Pedro Strecht, committee chair and child psychiatrist. “So much more than a statistic.”
parasitize
The investigation led to a widespread report in France that the Roman Catholic Church in that country was being abused. Between 1950 and 2020, about 330,000 children were sexually abused here by priests and other clergy.
More than 500 people signed up for the Portuguese study, but the researchers conclude that there must have been at least 4,815 victims of abuse over the past 70 years.
The research in Portugal was funded by the Catholic Church itself. When asked by the Reuters news agency whether this jeopardized the investigation, Strecht said he was “the first to condemn the intervention of the Catholic Church”.
Jose Ornelas, head of the Portuguese Bishops’ Conference, said the church would review the report before making a formal response to the investigation.
“We saw and heard things we couldn’t ignore,” says Ornelas, describing the results as dramatic. “This is not going to be easy to get over.”
The Catholic Church in Portugal has previously declared that it is ready to “take the necessary measures”.
Source: NOS
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
