Portugal’s Catholic bishops have set the amounts to be awarded to victims of sexual abuse within the Church, the Council of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference announced on Tuesday, 10th March, in a statement issued after a meeting in the country’s religious centre of Fátima. The financial compensation figures themselves were not disclosed.
“In an extraordinary Plenary Assembly held on 27th February, attended by the Apostolic Nuncio and the President and Vice-President of the Conference of Religious Institutes of Portugal, the bishops determined the amounts to be granted to the requests under review, based on the opinions of the Compensation Assessment Commission,” the Council revealed.
It added that victims who submitted requests will soon receive a formal notification, setting out the decision and the reasons behind it.
“The process will continue with due discretion and in absolute respect for the privacy of the victims, ensuring confidentiality and data protection for all those involved,” the statement stressed.
“We know that no compensation can erase the pain endured,” the bishops said. “But this step expresses the commitment we have always made to acknowledge the suffering caused and to contribute, as far as possible, to repairing the harm experienced by those who went through such harsh ordeals, placing victims at the centre of our priorities.”
The bishops also underlined that even after the deadline for submitting compensation claims has passed, the Church will continue to welcome and support any victims who come forward. They reaffirmed their “determination to ensure that the protection of children and young people in the environments of the Catholic Church in Portugal remains a permanent requirement”.
The compensation process follows a report produced by the Independent Comission for the Study of Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church, established by the Portuguese bishops and published in 2023.
In the same statement, the bishops welcomed the new President of the Republic, António José Seguro, and expressed their “gratitude” to the outgoing head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Source: LUSA
