LISBON (PORTUGAL)
Ukrinform [Kyiv Ukraine]
April 14, 2024
“The Catholic Church of Portugal announced on Thursday that it will pay financial compensation to victims of sexual abuse of children in the church,” the report said.
The payment amount will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
A report by a church-funded Portuguese commission in February 2023 found that at least 4815 minors had been sexually abused by clergy – mostly priests – over seven decades.
The report’s authors said their findings were the “tip of the iceberg,” and commission chairman Pedro Strecht added that more than 100 priests suspected of sexually abusing children remain serving in the church.
The following month, after the report emerged, the church announced a series of steps to tackle child sexual abuse, but was heavily criticized for not taking stronger action.
It is noted that the Catholic Church offers victims of sexual violence to independently submit requests for compensation. A special committee will determine the amount to be paid to each victim.
Antonio Grosso, co-founder of the association of victims of violence in the church Coracao Silenciad, believes that compensation should be the same for everyone.
“I don’t know what measuring tape they’re going to use to measure the suffering of people, people who will have to retell their stories to see if they deserve more or less cents,” he said.
Grosso also emphasized that the church should directly contact the victims themselves, and not wait for them to submit a request for compensation.
Over the past 70 years, at least 4 children have been sexually abused by members of the Catholic Church in Portugal.