More than 100 Priests of Catholic Church sexually abused at least 4815 children
2023.02.14 14:42
More than 100 Priests of Catholic Church sexually abused at least 4 815 children
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – The head of a commission that is looking into the matter says that more than 100 priests in Portugal who are suspected of abusing children sexually continue to serve in church roles.
In its final report, which was released on Monday, the commission, which began its work in January 2022, stated that over the course of 70 years, at least 4,815 children had been sexually abused by members of the Portuguese Catholic Church, most of whom were priests.
In addition, it stated that the 4,815 cases were the “absolute minimum” number of victims and that the findings were only the “tip of the iceberg.”
The commission’s head, child psychiatrist Pedro Strecht, told SIC television, “There is an approximate (number of accused priests) and it will clearly be more than 100.”
According to the commission, it was compiling a list of working accused priests to send to the Church and the public prosecutors’ office.
According to Strecht, those on the list ought to be removed from their positions or, at the very least, should not be allowed to interact with young people and children during the investigation.
The institution had not yet received the list, according to the head of the Bishops’ Conference, Jose Ornelas. Strecht promised that they would get it “soon.”
Ornelas stated, “What Pope (Francis) says is…abusers of minors cannot hold positions within the ministry as long as it is proven that the person is an abuser,” adding that the Church would not engage in a “witch hunt” against its members.
According to Strecht, the Church had a “moral and ethical duty” to work with judicial authorities on the issue.
According to Ornelas, the Portuguese bishops will meet on March 3 to discuss the possibility of implementing “more efficient and appropriate mechanisms” to stop future abuses.
