US EditionPortugal's Catholic Church to pay $1.85 million to 57 victims of sexual abuse
The Portuguese Catholic Church concluded compensation payments to 57 approved victims, with awards between €9,000 and €45,000, after an independent report documented over 4,800 abuse cases.
- On Thursday, the Portuguese Episcopal Conference and the Conference of Religious Institutes of Portugal announced the conclusion of financial compensation, paying over €1.6 million to 57 victims of clergy sexual abuse.
- A 2023 report from the Independent Commission for the Study of Child Sexual Abuse found at least 4,815 children and vulnerable adults were abused by clergy members over the past 70 years.
- Of 95 applications submitted, the CEP deemed 78 eligible; 57 cases received payments ranging from €9,000 to €45,000, while 11 applications were rejected and nine remain under review.
- The Portuguese Bishops stated, "Financial compensation does not erase what happened or undo the consequences of abuse in the lives of those affected," renewing their apology for harm caused.
- Grupo Vita, established by the Church to receive complaints and support victims, embodies its reaffirmed commitment to a "culture of accountability, care and prevention" despite payments not exhausting its responsibility.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Three years after the publication of a report revealing the extent of the child crime within the Portuguese Church, the Portuguese Episcopal Conference announced the compensation of 57 first victims to the tune of 1.6 million euros. However, an amount considered very insufficient by the associations representing them.
The Portuguese Catholic Church announced today that it will pay compensation totaling 1.61 million euros to 57 victims of sexual abuse by priests. The announcement came three years after the publication of a report by an independent commission that found in February 2023 that at least 4,815 minors had been victims of sexual abuse in the Portuguese Church since 1950.
The Church has already approved a total of 57 requests for financial compensation for victims of abuse committed in the context of ecclesiastical violence over the last few decades. Each receives an average of EUR 28 000.
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