London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

Portugal Catholic Clergy Sexually Abused Close To 5,000 Minors: Report

Portugal Catholic Clergy Sexually Abused Close To 5,000 Minors: Report

Thousands of reports of paedophilia within the Catholic Church have surfaced around the world and Pope Francis is under pressure to tackle the scandal.
Catholic clergy in Portugal have abused nearly 5,000 children since 1950, an independent commission said on Monday after hearing hundreds of victims' accounts.

Thousands of reports of paedophilia within the Catholic Church have surfaced around the world and Pope Francis is under pressure to tackle the scandal.

The Portuguese inquiry, commissioned by the Church in the staunchly Catholic country, published its findings after hearing from more than 500 victims last year.

"This testimony allows us to establish a much larger network of victims, at least 4,815," commission head Pedro Strecht told a press conference in Lisbon that was attended by several senior Church officials.

Strecht, a child psychiatrist, said it would be difficult now for Portugal to ignore the existence of child sex abuse or the trauma it caused.

"I am satisfied with this difficult and dramatic work," said the head of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP), Bishop Jose Ornelas.

"And we hope it marks a new beginning," the bishop said after attending the report's presentation.

Monsignor Ornelas, who also expressed "a thought for the victims," is due to hold a press conference later.

The country's bishops will convene in March to draw conclusions from the report and "rid the Church of this scourge as much as possible", Father Manuel Barbosa, a senior CEP member, said in January.

Faced with a multitude of clergy sex abuse cases that have come to light worldwide and the accusations of cover-ups, Pope Francis promised in 2019 to root out paedophilia within the Catholic Church.

Inquiries have been launched in several countries in addition to Portugal, including Australia, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The pontiff may meet some of the Portuguese victims when he visits Lisbon in August, the capital's auxiliary bishop, Americo Aguiar, said recently.

'The Church needs to cleanse itself'

The time limit for bringing charges has already expired for the vast majority of offences recorded by Strecht's six-member commission but 25 cases have been transferred to the prosecution service.

One of them concerns "Alexandra", a 43-year-old woman who has requested anonymity. She alleges she was raped by a priest during confession when she was a 17-year-old novice nun.

"It's very hard to talk about these things in Portugal," a country where 80 percent of people say they are Catholic, said Alexandra, who is now a mother and works as a kitchen helper.

"I kept it secret for many years but it became more and more difficult to cope with it alone," she told AFP in a telephone interview last week.

Three years ago, she plucked up the courage to report her attacker to the Church authorities.

But she said she was "ignored". The bishop in charge did nothing other than pass on her complaint to the Vatican, which has still not responded.

In April last year, Manuel Clemente, the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon and the highest-ranking prelate in Portugal, said he was ready to "recognise the errors of the past" and ask the victims for "forgiveness".

"Bishops asking forgiveness doesn't mean anything to me. We don't know if they mean it," retorted Alexandra, who said she felt "sickened" by the Church and its abuse cover-ups.

The independent commission, at least, had afforded her an understanding ear and psychological support.

It was, she said, "a good first step" for victims who wanted to "break the wall of silence" that had surrounded them.

"This has taken far too long," Strecht quoted another anonymous victim as saying. "The Church needs to cleanse itself."
Comments

Oh ya 2 year ago
Yup send those little boys to church so they can be ass raped by the priests. Sounds like the Catholic plan to me. Are these parents retards

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
×